Techmaturgical Precision
by The Sanctum
Summary: (JaycexCaitlyn) He was given an arcane crystal by Piltover, supposedly a source of unlimited power that could solve the urban city-state's ever growing problem: lack of energy. But words can be false and old friends betray; will Jayce be able to overcome the challenges ahead of him?
1. Chapter 1:1

**A/N:**

**So here's my second try on a fanfiction and it will be about Jayce – obviously – and his lore, with some tweaks. I hope you like it and be sure to follow, favourite or review!**

**CHAPTER 1:1**

"…_broadcasted all over Valoran! Now, let's move on to the weather! Cassie, how does it look today?_"

_What…? Oh, the radio._

"_Oh hey Brad, it looks absolutely amazing today I must say! Not a single cloud—"_

He groaned and reached out for the button on his end table. It responded with a small beep and the radio quieted.

"Give me todays, Claire," he said out loud and looked up into his ivory colored ceiling.

"_The lady on the radio was quite correct; Piltover is going to be a very sunny city today. I suggest that you dress in something extra due to your meeting with the Sheriff at lunch as well as for tonight._"

He yawned and stretched out, his elbows knocking into the headboard of his bed.

"Ah yes… when was I supposed to pick her up?"

"_The appointment was at 12:30 and if you get up now, you'll be at the station at 12:38. She knows you're usually late and probably won't scold you, but I suggest that you should pick up a bouquet at Marcie's just for safety. If my memory recalls correctly, I daresay she likes lilies._"

"Very amusing, Claire," he replied and slid out from the bed. "You're an artificial intelligence, you can't forget things."

"_Glad you think so._"

After taking a shower, he dressed into casual clothes and went to search after his sunglasses. His apartment wasn't dirty nor messy, but there were notebooks and unfinished inventions everywhere; one of them ironically for a device that could trace one's lost belongings. It took him an extra ten minutes before the malicious AI decided to help him.

"_Have you checked your pockets?_"

He went to grab his jacket that hung on a chair and searched his pouches.

"Found it," he answered and put back his leather jacket. "Thanks."

"_You're welcome_."

As he approached his front door, he was welcomed by three letters lying on the doormat. He bent down to pick them up and read from who they were addressed by. One of them was of a crazed fangirl and he quickly decided to ignore it, continuing to the next. The second was about his bills and he sighed heavily.

_Wasn't the government supposed to deal with this now since I am working for them? Strange, _he thought and threw it over his shoulder. _I guess I'll have to make a call._

"_You've approximately lost about 15 minutes trying to find your way out of the shower. Shall I message Miss Caitlyn and tell her that you won't be able to make it?_"

"No, just tell her that I was slightly preoccupied this morning."

"_With dreaming about her?_"

"Sure, add that."

"_I'll be on it immediately; anything else?_"

He opened his mouth to answer when he saw the last envelope and quickly tore it up, reading the little note inside of it.

"_Jayce? Are you there? I never sensed you leaving—_"

"I'm here," he interrupted and rose up. "Just a bit startled. Did you know that Viktor wanted to meet me? He's telling me here that you ignored his calls."

"_My program warned that his messages weren't safe and when I tracked back to his circuit, I read that the location of it was in Noxus. I won't accept anything from there, you made sure of it._"

Jayce nodded thoughtfully and put the letters on his shoe-rack. He then called the AI goodbye, put on his shades and ventured out into the City of Progress – Piltover, his home. It was the most advanced and modern city-state of whole Runeterra, with an unemployment rate of just above four percent and the average lifespan of a Piltoveran was seventy-five years. Life wasn't exactly easy, but when one fought and struggled for something that the person really wanted, Piltover was a perfect place to start on and especially for inventors and scientists. The coastal city was placed upon a small mountain and surrounded by a widely-spread marsh, and the latter powered the city with its natural resources.

_But that is an increasing issue_, he thought as he took the stairs down to the ground level. His apartment was on the third floor but he usually didn't use the elevator. _Piltover is staring to lose its lead against Zaun, but tonight I'm going to be given the potential key of solution. This could be my grand opportunity – my breakthrough – and I'll finally be recognized for my profession._

Jayce opened the door to the underground parking lot and strolled down the line of cars on both of his sides. _I wonder what Viktor wants; he's not exactly someone who visits for old time's sake, though it has been a while since we met. Maybe I am wrong and he wants to meet up for once._

He finally reached the end of the basement floor and grinned, seeing his vehicle. It was a slim motorbike that he had made completely on his own. The design was easy and modern, and the frame was in a dark, blue hue with a black seat and silver details. Instead of using tires and an engine driven by Piltoveran Ecological Gas, he had installed strong anti-metal sensors that made the motorcycle hover a couple of inches above the ground, even with his and another passenger's weight. It was practical whenever he was driving in most parts of his beloved city – since almost every street was coated with a thin layer of aluminum to protect the asphalt – but whenever he came across a "normal" street, he flicked on the powerful engine he also had installed and it was drivable once again.

As he arrived at the parking outside the police station with a bouquet of strawberry-colored lilies under his arm, he was welcomed by the familiar sound of the only two women in his life and their endless arguing. It had been on the front news when the Sheriff of Piltover decided to let an ex-criminal become her partner and even though their bickering could drive him crazy at times – once they drew weapon at each other since what Caitlyn thought was "viola", was purple for Vi – he saw that they actually cared about the other and made a great team. He had been hesitant at first when Caitlyn told him about her loud copartner, afraid that Vi might hurt or betray her, but she ignored his warnings and it seemed now later that he had been wrong about thinking bad of the pink-haired woman.

"Excuse me?" He sighed when he saw that a file was hurled out of the window. "Ladies?"

"Shut _up_! I don't get what you problem is today! Are you on your monthly?"

"Vi, you're well aware what I'm talking about. You simply cannot _throw a table_ on the suspect. It's meant to last a couple of weeks at least… I just ordered it!"

"Wow, he didn't want to talk! What the fuck should I've done else? He just sat there with his fucking legs on the table and rolled with his fucking disgusting eyes. He asked for it."

Jayce rounded the corner where he had come from and walked towards the entrance of Caitlyn's second home. Or technically, she spent more time here than she he did at her apartment, so this would make it her first home.

"Sometimes, Vi, you're a real pain in the arse. I hope you at least apologized to him afterwards."

"Are you cereal? Why would I lie? And I don't think he wants to see me."

"What did you do?"

"Don't sound like that, cupcake; you know I'm just doing my best."

"_Vi_."

Jayce entered the large building and felt the soft breeze of an air conditioner brush against his hair. He ducked under a loose panel in the ceiling of the lobby and was surprised with the emptiness of the station.

_Ah, I guess that most of them are on their summer vacation,_ he thought and passed through hollow seats and blank tables. _Typical Caitlyn; takes the responsibility for every case in Piltover alone during these two relatively calm weeks. Or well, she has Vi – and me._

His relationship with the famous Sheriff was complicated but at the same time way too simple; they… weren't exactly a normal couple to say the least. He knew that Caitlyn didn't want anything permanent since she had told him "I'm married to my job", but his emotions for her were more than just of a "friend's". Sometimes she would fall asleep in his arms and he would just close his eyes, imagining that she loved him. But he was wrong and the empty place next to him as he woke up was a constant reminder that she only saw them as mere fucking buddies.

His relationship with the _in_famous "Enforcer" – Caitlyn called her that; she has her fancy accent that he has no idea where it came from – was also complex but just not in the same way. At times he had thought she was interested in him but when he tried to confront her about it, she always put on her humongous gauntlets and mumbled something about "gotta get my fists working", making him back off. But as he got to know her better and better, he realized that she was a very good-hearted person who always cared for the people around her – but then it was her temper…

"…going to get sued. Do you hear that, Vi? _Sued_."

"Cait, don't worry, I'm relying on you to testify my innocence."

Jayce opened the door to the Sheriff of Piltover's office and knocked afterwards. Vi looked at him and gave him a friendly smile, waving her – for once – unarmed hand.

"Hey, Jayce," she greeted and rose from Caitlyn's chair. She pointed at her partner and mouthed: _monthly bleeding period has initiated. Be careful._

"Oh, I didn't hear you."

Caitlyn got off her desk and glanced at him over her shoulder. Her green-blue eyes locked on the flowers he was holding and smirked.

"You didn't have to," she said but her smile indicated else. "They'll probably wither in a couple of days, but thanks. Shall we take our leave?"

"Certainly," he replied and handed her the lilies. "To the usual?"

She put the bouquet in a vase that Vi gave her and turned back to Jayce.

"To the usual," she confirmed and opened a bottle of water, pouring the last of its contents in the vase. "You drive?"

**A/N.E:**

**I hope you like the way I'm imagining these champions and stay tuned for more! ^^**


	2. Chapter 1:2

**A/N:**

**Epic fail by me, same chapter twice it seems. Sorry!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:2**

"So…"

"Spring water, spinach and cherry tomatoes salad, two toasted sandwiches with cheddar cheese and steamed turkey – skip the onion and the pepper, as well as the pickles – and a fruit salad with no red or green things. They should be chopped into small, cubic pieces, but not too small. Thank you."

Their waitress tried to write down Caitlyn's order as fast as she could and turned to Jayce. He raised his eyebrows at the Sheriff and slowly regarded the menu.

"Any recommendations?" he asked and gave her a little smile. She was very young and he didn't recognize her face, guessing that this was her first day at work. _Poor girl got Caitlyn… _he thought amusedly and handed her the menu. "I trust you'll choose something good for me. Don't mind the price."

The waitress blushed and hurried away after mumbling something.

"You're much too kind, Jayce."

He shrugged and met her gaze.

"Or maybe _you_ are too harsh," he replied and smiled as she sighed. "How was today?"

"Fine, just fine." Caitlyn put her elbows on the table and sank down her heart-shaped face into the cup her hands were forming. "It's just Vi… we're really getting at each other recently and I don't like it. She attacked the suspect with a table and—"

"Yeah, I heard," he interrupted. "I actually heard you two from my place."

She rolled with her beautiful eyes and he felt his heart tighten. _If she only knew what I really felt for her; I can't tell her since I don't want to lose what little we have. Call me a coward, but I just _can't.

"Ha-ha, very funny," she said and sighed again. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong but whenever Vi does something like this, I want to fire her. We lost the case and I heard that he was in a hospital now, his treatment being paid by the government."

Jayce reached for her arm and she straightened. He took her hands in his and hugged her reassuringly.

"It's alright, you know that Vi has a temper." She opened her mouth to answer but he shook his head. "No, stop it. You remember what you promised me when we first started doing this?"

"'Keep work and me apart'," she replied and scoffed. "I'm doing a great job on that promise."

"Right," he said sarcastically and she broke up in a laugh.

"Thanks for making me feel better." Caitlyn took off her hat and hung it on her chair. "You always manage to do that, amazingly enough."

The same waitress as earlier came back with their food and she carefully put the overflowing tray of Caitlyn's order in front of her, and gave Jayce a single plate and a glass of lemonade.

"Roasted chicken with walnuts and an avocado sauce, served with baked potatoes and vegetables," she stated and then quickly left, her face flushing with color.

"I reckon she took the most expensive just to make more money," said Caitlyn as she poked her food with a fork. "Or maybe the cheapest to not make you pay."

"She left a note," he replied and read it out loud. "'It's on the house'."

The Sheriff made an impressed sound and nodded thoughtfully while raising an orange-colored cube to her lips.

"Or she paid it herself," she said and chewed. "Ah, perfectly sweet. This is why I love this bistro; always fresh fruit."

Jayce nodded in agreement and took a bite of his own meal. It was much better than he had anticipated and he made a mental note to order it another time as well. He normally avoided avocado since he didn't like how it glued to the mouth, but the sauce was very smooth and light.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

He swallowed a piece of chicken before answering.

"Have you read the news, lately?" he asked and she nodded. "Well, it seems like Ezreal found something during a recent excavation underground; an ancient object from a civilization that ruled Valoran thousands of years ago and … _else_."

She gestured for him to continue and he obeyed.

"Well, now it seems like it was a sort of power generator," he said and sipped his drink. "The reports I received a week ago didn't say especially much but I was in a meeting with a statesman yesterday. I'm now an official employee for the Government of Piltover."

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed and he averted his gaze, not at all anticipating her sudden joy. "No really, I knew you needed a new job since the money for your last patent would run out some day. Good going."

He scratched the back of his head and looked around. They were alone in the small restaurant but he still felt a bit shy. _It isn't really Caitlyn's thing to praise anyone; I guess I really impressed her_.

"Thanks," replied Jayce and yawned. He was still tired as he had dozed off at dawn. "I'll receive the artifact later this afternoon. Are you busy tonight?"

She stretched out on the chair and gave him a foxy smile.

"Now I am. I'll be there after eight."

"Certainly."

They continued to talk about whatever their minds came up with and the hours passing by felt like minutes. Before he knew it, Jayce was forced to end their lunch and drove Caitlyn back to the police station. He managed to give her a quick kiss on her cheek before anyone saw and left towards the world famous: Yordle Academy of Science and Progress.

_Another one of Cait's restrictions, _he thought grimly as he dismounted his vehicle. _Don't let anybody see._

"Jayce?"

He pulled back his hair and saw a little yordle with red goggles and a deceptively dark voice who was holding a tiny box in his even tinier hands. The two of them were standing outside the gigantic building of the school – where he himself had attended once – and seemingly alone.

_The students are probably also on summer vacation_, he thought and smiled, remembering the feeling of finally graduating and visiting his family. His parents had always lived in Demacia and were trying to get permission to start a university there, but even today they hadn't succeeded. He had a younger sister as well but she was something of a wild child, always searching for new places to find and she hadn't gotten an exam anywhere, therefore stamped as somewhat of a failure by his parents.

"That's me," replied Jayce and the dark-haired – skinned? – yordle handed him the metal box. It was very heavy and he felt something _pulsating_ under the surface. "Is this what Ezreal found?"

The short yordle eagerly nodded, happy to lose the weight of the strange box. Jayce gently shook the object and heard something shuffle inside of it.

"I wish you luck," said the yordle and gave Jayce a reassuring pat on his hip. "Everyone in the academy was let a chance to crack the code but it was impossible, I tried it myself. I hope you know what you're doing; some of the professors were even harmed. Whatever it is, it's incredibly dangerous so be careful."

Jayce was surprised with the thoughtfulness of the yordle but realized that it was custom for their people.

"I appreciate your concern, thank you," answered Jayce and the yordle nodded. "I'll take my leave."

He then turned to his motorbike and headed home, stopping just once at a local grocery store where he bought some dark chocolate – Caitlyn's favorite; he didn't like sweet stuff – and as soon as he reached his apartment, he decided to take a nap. Caitlyn would wake him if not Claire would, and Jayce slipped into the realm of dreams almost immediately as he lay down in his bed, the dark box resting on his desk.


	3. Chapter 1:3

**A/N:**

**Sorry for delay, my computer fucked up and I was forced to reinstall Windows. Microsoft Word also fucked up my other story, "Of Shadows and Lights" (AC-III), so it disappeared permanently ;_; After deciding that I couldn't put together 37K words and about 70 full pages, editing, fixing, copy-pasting from FF to Word in my preferable Times New Roman, I got my husband to fix it all ^^ And yesterday I was busy updating all these Windows components and blabla D:**

**The extra email y'all got was for me putting up a small note from my phone, but now my pc is alive again so no worry!**

**So… I've been bitching enough. But atm, my internet is fucking up so here's for you the next chapter!**

* * *

**Later added A/N:**

**WTF, my pc is fucked up. I can't play! ;_;**

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**CHAPTER 1:3**

He met Viktor five years ago, on a convention in Zaun, where the latter was holding a lecture for his robotics. Many were there, but most of them only wanted to see the freak who had made himself into a cyborg. Jayce had decided to travel there because he was curious about the man as well as for that he couldn't deny the brilliancy – to strengthen a normal human being with techmaturgy. He was himself trying to come up with a prototype; robotics weren't really his thing but he had this idea to instead of replacing his organs with synthetic parts, he would make a suit, something he could take on and off at will. Whenever he came close to a result, the project failed, and he wanted to ask Viktor how he had succeeded with his own transformation.

It was a cloudy day in Zaun – not that it always were – and it was about to rain. Jayce was late as usual, and he hurried to the gigantic College of Techmaturgy. The building was massive, maybe twice as large as the Yordle Academy of Science and Progress, and he saw it from far away. He managed to get in before getting completely soaked and found his way to Viktor's reading. During the day, several famous scientists had already been there, one of them Professor Stanwick who had revived a Noxian soldier and constructed Blitzcrank. He was a very intelligent man but Jayce had read the man's two bestsellers, "How to be a genius" and "Between Techmaturgy and Death", both of them revealing the professor's narcissism and confidence. No doubt that he was smart, but he was an asshole, and Jayce would never pay to hear someone brag.

He found an empty place to sit amongst other excited people and he overheard a couple in front of him.

"Isn't he crazy? Why did we stay for this?" wondered the woman, clearly exhausted of listening to Professor Stanwick for three hours. "Let's go home."

The man hushed at his partner and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I went to school with him, the least I can do for his many troubles is to hear him out. It's only twenty minutes, Ceil."

_What troubles? _Jayce shook the water out of his hair and an old lady to his right glared at him. He quickly muttered an apology and inched closer to the couple in front of him since the man had lowered his voice.

"…not tell anyone. Alright?"

The woman nodded eagerly.

"Okay, it wasn't really Stanwick who led the project of Blitzcrank; it was Viktor," said the man and Jayce suddenly recognized him. He was one of the members in the team who built the intelligent golem, and had been in the newspapers of Piltover. "I guess I can say the same with Urgot; it was all Viktor."

His girlfriend – or wife – gasped and her eyes widened.

"But how did Professor Stanwick… he _stole_ it?"

The man shrugged and he caught Jayce's attentive expression in the corner of his left eye. He gave the Piltoveran a little scoff before whispering something inaudible to his partner. They quieted down and nothing more was heard.

_Strange_, thought Jayce and leaned back into his chair, crossing his legs and arms. _But how could the professor have gotten away? And why didn't Viktor do anything about it? _He tried to imagine how it would feel if someone stole his project and became world famous because if _his own_ work. Furious would be an understatement.

"Welcome, to the College of Techmaturgy, ladies and gentlemen, humans and _others_. Here comes the last lecture for today. Thank you all for coming and have a continued good day!"

The host was a gorgeous-looking brunette with long, curly hair and sparkling green eyes. She dazzled even the jealous women – obviously the men as well – staring at her and Jayce felt the same attraction, until he watched her more closely. As he eyed the beauty up and down, he saw that she was wearing a wig and that a small bump was visible at the waistband of her black jeans. Jayce couldn't help but smiling when he realized that it was a man and someone he knew very well. It was his old roommate at the academy in Piltover and they had gone through _hell_ together. His name was Kevin Millar, a year older than him, and was the happiest soul Jayce had ever met. Kevin always used to drag out his friend to find a nightclub and end up drinking too much; though never enough to do something stupid as this. He was infamous for having a thing for tricking people to see what was not true.

_I'm happy you ended up here, at least_. Jayce grinned as Kevin took extra care to swing his hips from side to side when exiting the scene. _So you actually succeeded as a teacher here. Impressive, I must say._

The audience waited a couple of awkward minutes before a tall, skinny man found his way from backstage, probably the same age as Jayce. His hair was black as well as his eyes, and he accidently dropped something on the floor. It started rolling away and fell down the edge of the stage. The man cursed something under his breath and laughter voiced the large hall.

"E-excuse me," he said and his voice broke. "I'm just a bit nervous, that's all. Welcome to Zaun and the College of Techmaturgy—"

"We already know!"

Another burst of laughter filled the room and embarrassment consumed the black-haired man's countenance.

"M-my name is Viktor and I-I was called here to explain cyborgtronics. Is there a-anyone here who knows a thing or two about it...?"

Nobody answered and Viktor staggered forward to the podium. He was obviously in pain and struggled to not fall. Jayce tried to catch a glimpse underneath the man's blue cape that covered his whole body but saw nothing of the man's infamous experiments of himself.

"Ahm, _anyone_?" he asked once again and put his papers on the wood, terrified if someone would laugh. "N-nothing?"

"I do."

Jayce held up his hand and Viktor's pale face got back some color.

"So," started Viktor and pulled his scarf closer to his face, muffling his voice as he continued and their eyes locked. "What do you know about components and circuits?"

"Not much, I admit," replied Jayce and shrugged. "But I would prefer detachable components. If you're infusing skin and metal, your body will react on the alien object as something hostile and damage it from within. Circuits are not preferable in a cyborg as it is impossible to connect something with your brain."

"Good," answered Viktor and nodded appreciative. He wasn't stammering anymore and Jayce saw how confident the man was in his profession. "But wouldn't something detachable be easier for your opponent to remove? I agree with you about the circuits though; I've actually tried it and no, it doesn't work."

Jayce tried not to feel sick when his mind imagined how it looked when Viktor tried to get something in his brain and shook his head.

"Yes, but only if we're talking about a human with a robot foot," said Jayce and pointed at his feet. "If a man would put on a full armor, head to toe, it would be impossible for someone to disassemble him except himself and those who knew the trick. A man made of iron and steel, equipped with the power of techmaturgy. Wouldn't he be the perfect cyborg?"

Victor listened very attentive to what he had to say but then looked confused.

"It sounds like you're meaning that a man can take on this suit and be invincible," replied Viktor and took forth a pen, scribbling down what he was saying. "But he would still be a mere human without this suit, as well as the fact that anyone could steal it, right? Aren't those two the big issues with this? That's not a cyborg but a very, very rich man. And what about if someone has to amputate their legs due to a disease? This 'suit' won't help them; they only want new legs."

"I agree, but that's a whole 'nother discussion." Jayce straightened in his seat. "How could a man make this 'suit'?

Viktor's eyes suddenly glimmered with amusement and Jayce smirked. _Finally, he understood what I meant._

"If you have any other _direct_ questions to me, I'll be glad to handle them later on; for now I actually have a reading," said the black-haired man and rolled with his eyes. "Okay, to start off with cyborgtronics – who here have seen the Aker's movie 'I wish I had a friend'?"

Viktor had now settled and Jayce saw nothing of the previous shown nervousness. The rest of the lecture went smoothly without any more laughing and someone even picked up what had fallen of the scene earlier. Jayce memorized everything Viktor said about AI's, especially keeping in mind that a female voice was preferable, since it was easier to manipulate a woman's pitch and make her sound more real. The twenty minutes Viktor had received passed in an instant and Jayce was not alone to be disappointed in how short the reading was. Sure, they had laughed at the nervous figure at first, but nobody could deny the man's brilliancy. He could explain in such detail, that when he finished, Jayce was surprised that he hadn't thought about it himself. As Viktor's lecture was the last for the day, people hurried home to eat their late dinner and amidst the minor chaos that erupted at the exit, Jayce had seen the blackness of the cyborg's hair.

"Jayce," greeted Jayce and offered his hand.

Viktor seemed to hesitate before taking it.

"You already know me", he replied and they shook hands. "Thanks… for earlier I mean. I was just so nervous and—"

"It's fine, really," said Jayce and smiled reassuringly. "Though I'm surprised that an intelligent person like you didn't understand what I meant at first."

Black eyes pierced through bright blue, but the Zaunite surprised Jayce by laughing.

"Ah, I guess I lagged."

_He has humor._

"Perhaps," he answered and Jayce pointed towards the main entrance of the building. "It looks like it is still raining; perhaps you would like to accompany a lonely Piltoveran to a nearby restaurant? I still have some questions to ask."

"You trying to build an army?" wondered Viktor and even though Jayce couldn't see the man's lips, he knew that he was smiling. "But sure, I'll show you somewhere. Though I hope you pay."

"_Me_? I travelled all the way here to ask you a couple of questions, not to let u leech off of me."

Viktor adjusted his coat as they reached the exit and Jayce buttoned his jacket. It was still pouring outside but at least they escaped the stench rising from the sewers of Zaun.

"Okay, half-half. Is that alright?"

Jayce chuckled as he pulled up his collar.

"Now we're talking."

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**A/E.N:**

**So, this is how I'm picturing Viktor and Jayce, first getting to know each other. I hope you like it!**


	4. Chapter 1:4

**A/N:**

**I'm a genius. This is from my ps3.**

**All hail the might of consoles.**

**CHAPTER 1:4**

"Argh, it doesn't work!"

Jayce sighed and leaned back into his chair. _What am I doing wrong?_

"Hmm…"

He glanced to his right and was rewarded with the view of Caitlyn's beautiful body, partly covered by crisp, white sheets. She opened her left eye and winked at him.

"Just let it be then…" Caitlyn yawned and stretched out, revealing enough skin to make him aroused. "Don't you want to sleep some more?"

"Hey," he quickly replied and tried to not smile. "Stop it, I actually need to work."

"Who's a mood-crasher?" Caitlyn clasped her hands together in the shape of a gun and aimed at him, mouthing: _boom_. "Golden Jayce."

"I actually have a real job here," he answered and grinned. _She's so much more relaxed when sleepy… or is it maybe the sex?_ "You on the other hand, could probably get away with a robbery even; the government is powerless against you."

She yawned again and pulled back her lush, chocolate-colored hair.

"You make me sound like the leader of a world famous gang," she said and creased her eyebrows. "I'm not that influential."

"Liar." Jayce chuckled and turned back towards his desk. "You could probably walk out on the street naked and it would be the next fashion trend. Maybe you can shoot Ezreal while you're at it."

He heard the sound of her rising from the bed and soon felt Caitlyn's slim – although much strong – arms around his shoulders. She gave him a soft kiss on top of his head and exhaled.

"What's with him then?" she asked with a curious voice and pointed at the black box in front of them. "I reckon he's up to no good as usual. You should return it to him."

"I can't," replied Jayce immediately and took her hand in his. "Bastard got away before I was even able to make a call. He's somewhere in the League now, searching for whatever he now might want to know about."

He hauled her naked body into his lap and when the Sheriff opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a kiss. Jayce buried his fingers into her long hair and she was already tugging at his gray sweatpants.

"Let's not talk about some boy," she whispered as he pulled away, giving them both time to breathe. "He's a nuisance."

"Well, technically he's twenty-two…" He stopped when she glared at him. "…_but_ he's a kid, yes."

"Stop teasing me," said Caitlyn and rolled with her eyes. "Of course I know his age—"

"_I'm terribly sorry for interrupting the two of you but Jayce; you have an urgent call right this moment. I apologize, Sheriff._"

Jayce frowned and his eyes locked with Caitlyn's. He shrugged, showing that he had no idea who it might be, and she seemed to believe him.

"Connect him to my earphone, Claire," he said and helped Caitlyn up. "I'll take care of _you_ later," he added and she gave him a smile.

"_Will do. Connecting in three, two, one…"_

He opened his desk and found the earphone.

"This is Jayce."

"Jayce."

He instantly recognized the voice.

"Viktor…" Jayce almost caught on the word; it had been more than two years since they had last spoken in voice. "Old friend… how are you? Everything alright?"

"Jayce…" He heard the loud bang of something crashing. "I need help."

**A/N:**

**Good news, I'm buying a pc tomorrow!**


	5. Chapter 1:5

**A/N:**

**Yup. New PC. I'm totally not excited…**

**OMG, I have a new computer! :D**

**Oh well, **_**anyways**_**, I wanted to add a little note to this story: I've been checking my little notebook where I've scribbled down the events and the overall plotline of the story, and checking it now while I was gone for a while, I realized that this story is relatively short ._. But let's see how long it will be ^^**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:5**

The sun was slowly descending from its magnificent seat in the sky and Jayce enjoyed every minute of it. He could never cease being amazed by nature's wonders, even simple one such as a sunset. A soft, cool breeze gently brushed aside his chestnut-brown hair and he inhaled quietly the scent of blossoming flowers.

_Simply astonishing… that something so distant is providing our whole world with life_. Jayce stretched out on the bench and yawned. _What a powerful source of energy… I hope it will be in my lifetime when we finally achieve to reach the stars._

It was just a couple of months ago when the City of Progress succeeded in creating a public transportation tool thanks to some old drawings found by Ezreal. They had no official names yet but were large techmaturgy-powered objects travelling underground. So far only Zaun had accepted to try the system out and every other nation seemed hostile towards the project. Viktor was on his way here using the transport and Jayce had been waiting for quite a while now, sitting alone on a bench.

"Is it free here?"

He gestured for the woman to sit down and she gave him a thankful smile. Her hair was ebony and trailed down in curls towards her shoulders, framing her beautiful features. Jayce didn't take any more notice of her other than her strangely colored eyes: golden, like the scenery in front of him.

"So…"

The woman leaned forward and propped her elbows on her legs. She stared into the horizon, her eyes seemingly unaffected by the blaze, and sighed heavily.

"What is it?" he asked and straightened. The bench they were sharing was large enough to fit the two of them without any problems, but he didn't want to be rude and gave her more space.

She shook her head, smiling apologetically, and turned to him.

"Nothing," she answered and shrugged. "I… I'm just… _hurt_. Not physically of course but you understand…"

"Aha, I see."

The black-haired woman bit her lower lip and scrutinized him from head to toe. He surprisingly enough didn't feel awkward at all, but empathic. _Maybe she is in a situation similar to mine. If only I could muster up enough courage to tell Cait the truth… but then again, she would never want to see me after that._

"What would you do if you if you were betrayed by someone you once loved? If this person would search for you, night and day, just to have you die?"

Jayce stiffened in his seat. _How… how simply _atrocious_; what man could possibly behave like such a detestable being?_

"I guess I would start over again," he replied after a pause. "I… I honestly cannot answer your question and I gladly admit that I've never gone through something like that. It must be completely… heartbreaking."

She nodded thoughtfully and their eyes locked. For a second it felt like the woman next to him devoured his whole body, throwing it from side to side and buried into his mind. His defenses crumbled, the world started spinning and everything he saw was her. _Everything_.

But then it disappeared as quickly as it had washed over him and she averted her gaze.

"I'm sorry," she simply said and clenched her fists. "I just wondered if you were telling me the truth."

Jayce gasped and tried to come up with an answer when he got interrupted by a much familiar voice. He turned around and saw a slender, black-haired man approach him with long strides. The man gave him a grin and thumbs up, showing that he was alright even after using the prototype transport between Piltover and Zaun.

Jayce smiled back at his friend but as he glanced to his left, he saw that the strange woman had disappeared. He was sitting alone on the bench and there was not even a trace of the golden-eyed woman whatsoever. Nothing.

_How odd… I can swear that she was real_, he thought and looked about. _I can even smell her perfume lingering in the air. Where did she go?_

"Jayce."

He rose up and greeted his old friend with fervor, hugging Viktor's skinny shape. To his surprise, Jayce felt something odd beneath the cyborg's usual attire – a sapphire blue cloak swept around most of his body, a pair of black trousers and a dark scarf around his neck – as his hand touched something protruding out of Viktor's shoulder.

"That's fine. Now, give me some room to breathe."

Jayce grinned and examined the man in front of him. The similarities between the two of them were few, probably only their height and passion for techmaturgy, but it was enough to become good friends. They were more like each other's opposites, where Viktor was shy and reserved in company with women and Jayce felt confident. His half-robot, half-human friend wasn't exactly "uninterested" but much too uncomfortable conversing with strangers. Fortunately enough, Viktor's habit of stammering had dissipated during the years and made it much easier for Jayce to flirt in bars and get his friend some female company. They Zaunite wasn't ugly, absolutely not, but his insecurity made him look unattractive in most eyes.

Though there was one woman that Viktor simply couldn't handle nor talk to, and not because he lacked confidence, but because he disliked her: the Sheriff of Piltover. Whenever – yeah, _whenever_, even if they only met briefly – he saw Caitlyn, Viktor just furiously took off, refusing to explain himself afterwards. It was a peculiar behavior, but Jayce had always been too polite to ask why. He guessed that it was because of that time when the Sheriff had slipped in pouring rain and grabbed hold onto Viktor's cloak, leading to not only a mess but an exposed cyborg.

Jayce shuddered involuntarily. _I will never forget what I saw, what horror that had been brought upon a human body. It still amazes me how Viktor can walk and move normally, when his flesh has been stripped away and been replaced with steel._

"Something wrong? Is any part of me loose?"

Jayce quickly cleared his mind from any of the past thoughts and shook his head.

"Certainly not," he replied, still smiling. "Let's go."

His black-haired friend raised an eyebrow but Jayce shrugged it off and pointed towards the City of Progress, hovering above their heads and well-placed on the mountain. The largest part of the city – the Industrial – was located in the vast marsh surrounding Piltover, at ground level. There were residential areas, good ones, here as well but everyone knew that living in the actual city was for the "richer".

Viktor followed him and they started walking towards a large building. Piltover was famous for their beautiful and modern, _white_ architecture, but the construction they were approaching was gray and well-guarded.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Viktor and scoffed. "I'm not carrying bombs or anything…"

"Very amusing," replied Jayce and tried to sound serious even though he was about to smile. "But the government cannot take any risks. You got to sign up that you have permission to be here, or you won't gain access to the Piltover."

Viktor pulled his cloak tighter and huffed. His black eyes analyzed the soldiers patrolling the building and furrowed his brows.

"Seems like Piltover has gone through a lot since I last visited," he said, his neutral but slightly scornful voice taking on a curious edge. "So the old elevators are gone? What are you going to do with the stations? I don't know if people would want to live there; it's kind of shady directly underneath the city.

Jayce entered the building through the automatic double-doors and nodded to the guard closest to him. The man recognized him and nodded in return.

"I guess they'll be sold to private businesses," answered Jayce and approached a free check-out where an attractive, young woman casually handled some paperwork. There were more guards inside as well. "Excuse me?"

She looked up and gave him a little more than polite smile. Jayce knew that his appearance was of much approval to most women, but he could never look at someone else except Caitlyn. He could admit that he at times had tried to find someone else – someone who actually would return his affection – but it always ended up bad for him… either that, or it wasn't _enough_.

"My friend is here to visit me for an unknown amount of time," said Jayce and gestured towards Viktor, the latter pulling his scarf up higher to conceal the lower part of his face. "He's from Zaun and came here using the new transports."

The brown-haired woman leaned back to reach a paper and handed it to him.

"Do you have a certificate on your identity?" she wondered and turned to her computer. "Your driving license will suffice."

Jayce gave her the small, yellowish card and she pulled it through a scanner. After some quick managing with numbers and names, they got their permission and were pointed through a corridor and reached another pair of double-doors. These were on the other hand not automatic and Jayce felt Viktor's inquisitive gaze as he entered the code he had received from the woman.

"…17."

Jayce nervously waited a couple of seconds, afraid that he might've missed one of the many numbers written down on the paper he was holding, but the doors opened with a soft sound and he exhaled.

"So… How does this work?"

He turned to Viktor and the cyborg carefully stepped through the doors, taking in every detail of his surroundings. Jayce gave him a reassuring smile and urged his friend to follow him.

"Some yordle came up with the idea to copy what the Adjucators are issuing in the Institute of War," replied Jayce and they passed a couple of families. "You've surely heard of their ability to teleport a champion to the Fields of Justice, an alternative dimension or their 'playground' as some say."

Viktor nodded and listened attentively as Jayce found two empty platforms.

"These," he continued and pointed at the short pedestal, "are working as portals. With the right code, they'll take you to different places in Piltover. Where do you want to go first? Are you hungry?"

The cyborg shook his head and crouched down to examine the platforms. He hesitated before touching the smooth metal and traced its green-glowing rune marks.

"How?" he asked with awe. "I don't understand… how can something this simple, teleport a human being?"

"Well, Piltover is after all 'the City of Progress'," answered Jayce and Viktor rose up, his expression mixed with admiration and suppressed confusion. The Zaunite didn't want to admit that even his intellectual mind was unable to understand how the pedestals worked. "It's hextech, magic and techmaturgy mended into one brilliant piece. The yordles are great and I think that a former summoner also tattled a bit. Shall we go?"

Viktor nodded and stepped onto the platform, copying Jayce's move. He gave his friend the four-digit code to use and a familiar blue light enveloped the two, sending them up to Piltover.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Anyone recognizing the golden-eyed woman? ^^**


	6. Chapter 2:1

**A/N:**

**School has started (D:/^^) and therefore, my updates might come less frequent and quite inconsistent. I hope you'll continue to support me in any way you want and read what I post. I'm not only writing this story but an AC-III, so thus the usual delay.**

**I should probably also put a note: all of my stories may or may not contain information gained from earlier stories, thus some confusing parts at times. This fanfic does on the other hand not possess anything from my last fanfic but future may.**

**Reason why some may see Viktor as very "squishy" (jokes aside), is because I dislike the way Riot has described him. Imao, he's been portrayed as a very shallow person and not at all as the genius he really is.**

**Damn, long A/N again, sorry!**

**Guest (so many of you): You were right, the woman from earlier was Ahri. It was just a small glimpse of another story I have planned after Techmaturgical Precision. ^^**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2:1**

"_Welcome back, Jayce. Do I sense you bringing some company?_"

The cyborg raised a dark eyebrow and Jayce sighed, rolling with his eyes.

"You're very well aware of my friend here," replied the handsome Piltoveran and took off his outer garments, gesturing for Viktor to do the same. "Viktor, meet Claire, an extremely intelligent computer with her own 'life', also known as an AI. She has a very… colorful humor to say the least, due to my stupid misplacement of a cable, but don't mind her."

"_He actually wanted me to possess a certain sarcastic behavior, in a masochistic way to torture him. Welcome, Viktor, to the City of Progress. I feel almost privileged to meet with such a brilliant mind as yours. _"

_Colorful humor_, mouthed Jayce and his friend's black eyes widened in surprise. Viktor stepped into the airy living room and tried to trace down the origin of the AI's voice.

"She's been built into a speaker in every room," said Jayce and ventured into his kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, searching after some refreshments for his friend, and found some beer. "Would you like something to drink? Eat?"

"I'm fine."

Jayce had already taken out the alcohol halfway and quickly put it back, surprised by Viktor's answer. The Zaunite was as skinny as a man could be but ate as a pack of famished wolves, probably eating as much as Vi consumed those weird potato chips from Bandle City. They tasted like barbequed chocolate and meat, and were definitely something that neither Jayce nor Caitlyn liked. Not that it mattered to Vi.

"Claire?"

He returned to his friend with a worried frown and found Viktor on the floor, knocking randomly at the wood and pushing aside different furniture and objects.

"_I'm not located in the ground, though I admit that it's quite amusing to watch you in your confusion._"

Jayce glared irritably at a seemingly innocent painting of Piltover and urged Viktor to stand up. The latter coolly followed his friend's gaze and looked at the beautiful picture.

"So her core and processor are hidden behind that?" asked the black-haired man and approached the canvas. "Clever."

"She's quite a big lady actually," answered the Piltoveran and grabbed Viktor's shoulder, shaking his head. "Don't. I've set up a strong electromagnetic field in the frame; it would fry a normal human being. Your own system will probably malfunction."

Viktor shrugged him off and took another step towards the painting.

"I doubt it. Most of my… inhuman parts are made of dark iron from the deepest part of the Shadow Isles and coated with the purest titanium." He reached out for it with his metallic fingers and slowly touched the canvas. To Jayce's surprise, the cyborg didn't even flinch. "This won't make me budge."

The air was suddenly sparkling with energy and Jayce instinctively recoiled. Every hair on Viktor's head slowly erected and his blue coat as well, making the cyborg a very comical sight to behold.

"Claire," growled Jayce admonitory and took another step back. "I do _not_ want an explosion here."

"_I do often see myself as an opportunist and took this moment to try out his limit, but it seems like your friend is more than capable of handling my defenses. I apologize, for my doing is very rude indeed_."

"Nothing wrong with being curious and I am myself surprised that I can neutralize you, Claire," replied Viktor and turned to Jayce, denying the opportunity for the Piltoveran to say anything. "You might need to improve her hardware, friend." The Zaunite looked back at the large painting of the City of Progress. "Let's hope I can get off of this thing."

With a grimace and a husky cry, Viktor pulled away from the painting and tripped backwards in the progress. He was able to regain his balance and didn't lose his foothold, though his hand fell onto the desk, exactly where the mystical box Jayce had received a day ago was resting. The two friends watched in dismay and confusion as the cyborg's energy charged fingers first met with the strange object then fully gripped it.

Azure-colored rays erupted from the small, metal box and it illuminated the whole apartment in a powerful light. Jayce was forced to cover his eyes with his arms as the glim grew stronger and stronger, rendering him blind and mentally numb. He heard no sounds – not even a snide comment from Claire – and called for his friend, not knowing if the light had dissipated and too frightened to see for himself.

"Viktor? Claire?"

Nobody answered and he gritted his teeth. _What happened? How did he open the box? _"Everyone alright?"

There was still no reply and Jayce decided to take the risk and check for himself. He lowered his arms and saw, behind closed eyelids, that the blue light had disappeared. The brown-haired man took a deep breath before gently opening his eyes and was met with complete darkness. Immediately panicking, he soon realized that he was in fact not blind but that the electricity had died and probably not only in his apartment but in the whole building, maybe the closest ones as well.

"Viktor?" he whispered and tried to distinguish any forms in the dark. _Claire should not have been afflicted by an ordinary blackout; she has a reserve generator built into her motherboard. What exactly did happen?_ "Hey, don't you two robots play a joke on me," he added grumpily. _It would be exactly like you two to set me up like this._

"Ugh… joking in a situation like this…"

Jayce's sight finally adjusted to his obscure surroundings and found his cyborg-friend on the floor. His cape had seemingly caught on fire, guessing by the black scrapes on Viktor's chest and back, as well as some furniture around him. The Zaunite groaned and propped himself up on his elbows.

"What in the Void was that?" He coughed and Jayce crouched next to him. Viktor's scarf had incinerated as well, rendering his face completely visible for once. "It felt… it felt like my body, my synthetic parts, was filled with_ life_. It was absolutely marvelous. Jayce, what is this?"

Viktor held up the black, unassuming box in his right hand and sat up. Jayce had never before seen anything similar to the intricate, cerulean pattern tracing across the metal, but as he reached for the item, Viktor pulled away.

"Hey," said Jayce jokingly and tried to grasp for it again. "Give it back."

"No."

The cyborg's answer felt like a cold dagger to his heart and as Jayce started feeling oddly ill-tempered, his friend rose up to a standing. The handsome inventor saw the remarkable, azure light reflecting in Viktor's ever so black eyes, slowly transforming the darkness therein with its own, brilliant glim. Soon, his eyes were shining blue, the light eradicating even the white of his eyes.

"Viktor… what do you mean?" For the first time in his life, Jayce wondered if he had been wrong to befriend the intricate, solitary Zaunite after all. Maybe people had been right all these years, maybe he actually was crazy. "Return the box," he demanded.

"No, impossible," replied the cyborg and his grip around the ancient object tightened. "I don't know where you found this or who gave you it… but I can't just drop it. Jayce… it makes me feel so alive. It might be because I'm partly made of metal and electricity, but this… it's unbelievably powerful."

Jayce frowned and rose up as well. "That belongs to the Government of Piltover and is _not_ something I can simply yield to you. I thank you for opening it, or activating it at least, but you can't have it."

"Come on," tried Viktor and his corrupted eyes finally averted from the black box, focusing on Jayce. "With this, you and I could be _gods_. The power is beyond measure; I can feel how it's coursing through my every nerve cell, filling me with its techmaturgical strength. It would be easy to make you that suit you've always been dreaming of. This is the next step in the evolution, Jayce. Join me."

_I can't believe what he's saying but this is undeniably wrong_, thought Jayce and shook his head in utter disappointment. "Friend, I can't and I won't. Return it to me now." _Viktor, please, don't do this to me. Not after all these years and everything you and I've been through. Our friendship is more important than your hunger for power, right?_

The cyborg grimaced and gritted his teeth. Jayce knew that there was something more behind the Zaunite's talk of power and suspected the worse: the need for vengeance. During all these years – five long years of trusting, sharing and enjoying life – a little voice had told him that all Viktor wanted was revenge, retaliation for Professor Stanwick's betrayal and theft of Viktor's whole research during his years in school. But Jayce had always reassured himself that his friend was too intelligent to trouble his mind with the past and was instead trying to succeed with another scientific breakthrough. They had at times shared a couple of words about the happening but the black-haired cyborg never really listened to what Jayce said about moving on.

_I must have been wrong_, thought the Piltoveran bitterly and sighed. "Please, Viktor. I don't want this to end up bad for you."

"This won't stop me," answered Viktor abruptly and snorted. "This… will help me defeat that fucktard Stanwick. I'll even shove my hand through his throat to reach his black, rotten heart and rip it out myself."

He swallowed and raised the item in level with his nose, staring into the core of the object. It was humming quietly, like a tiny processor, and the blue light pulsated in the same tempo.

"Jayce, please, you're my friend," he continued, sounding almost like he was begging. "You if anybody knows my deep hatred for that wretched, invalid, cock-rubbing son of a bitch." His curses surprised Jayce; it was definitely rare to hear the cyborg speak even the slightest expletive. "He deserves nothing less than death itself and if he rises, I'll be more than happy to kill him again and again."

"As I feared," said Jayce resignedly and pulled back his chestnut-brown hair. "You really are a lost case, aren't you? Like a mad dog, blindly chasing whatever it can see and foolishly throwing all of its emotions into the fray, mixing it up until it cannot differentiate friend from foe."

"Fuck you and your fancy words, Jayce."

The cyborg's voice revealed his wounded feelings and the seed of hatred that had grown there ever since the two of them had first met. Jayce realized now that Viktor had never even thought about forgetting the past but had since then searched for a way to obliterate Professor Stanwick. And that the knowledge of this didn't surprise him, made the Piltoveran ever more disappointed with what was happening at the moment.

_This is really just my fault. _Jayce chuckled at his own idiocy and clenched his fists. _How come I never stopped him before? He always had had a screw loose, ironically enough._

"Fine," responded Jayce after a pause. "Take it and leave to chase your stupid dreams of retribution, but remember this…"

Even though the Zaunite – and his former best friend – glared at him in abhorrence, Jayce stood adamant and was proud that he could retain his calm. He pointed at the door and his eyes locked with Viktor's.

"I _will_ end your madness. Not now and not today, and the only reason why I'm letting you go now is to honor what friendship we once had."

Hoping that the cyborg wouldn't kill him where he stood, Jayce courageously continued.

"I'll put a stop to you but not in a fight right here," he said, his light, blue eyes never even once wavering from his newfound opponent and nemesis. It ached in his heart to lose such a close friend but he knew that this was what must be done. "Go try out and see what vengeance may lead you – only never forget me. Now get the _hell_ out of my home and city: Piltover is not a place for such as you."


	7. Chapter 2:2

**CHAPTER 2:2**

"I really need your help with this, please—"

"I can't, Jayce. I'm sorry, but I simply _can't_."

He angrily slammed his fist into her worn-out desk and the wood creaked loudly in protest. "I can't just let him walk away with it!" he snarled and gritted his teeth. "No way!"

All day, he and Caitlyn had argued about the theft of the ancient object and its perpetrator, Viktor. Jayce shivered in discomfort whenever his former friend's name was mentioned, as a mental image of the mad scientist etched into his brain, as vivid as if it was real. The thought was omnipresent and horrifying, even in the back of his mind, and Jayce had tried to forget as much of it as possible _– _to no success. He had immediately after the cyborg's relatively calm and silent departure, stumbled his way down to his bike and driven to the police station, hoping to meet the famous Sheriff. Unfortunately enough, only a sleepy Vi had been there to receive him, mumbling something about Caitlyn taking a "chillpill" _– _then fallen asleep soon afterwards on a lounge couch that he had no idea when it got to there _– _and Jayce had preoccupied the rest of the night with completing necessary paperwork, mandatory to apply a case for the Sheriff of Piltover. He had also fallen asleep, exhausted both physically and mentally, and woken up to the smell of cupcakes and coffee. Vi and Caitlyn were already enjoying their brunch but quietly, to the brown-haired inventor's surprise, and laughing at an old joke. The sight had pleased him greatly since he knew how worried Cait was due to Vi's irresponsible and uncontrollable behavior – and her temper – and he had woken up with a happy grin... which now later on during the day, had been replaced with an annoyed frown.

Caitlyn casually leaned back in her seat and whirled a strand of hair between her slender fingers. Her dark turquoise-colored eyes examined him closely, almost like he was one of the suspects in a major crime scene, and sighed, throwing his filed report into a overflowing trashcan.

"It's impossible," she said and ignored his shocked expression as she bent down to pick up one of the papers flying out of the file. "Everyone you've mentioned here," she waved the sheet, "denies everything. Even Ezreal, surprisingly enough. It's like your 'crystal' never existed in the first placed. I can't find any proofs if even the government is restraining my authoritarian power. I got a call earlier this morning that I should ignore you."

Jayce didn't know what to reply with at first, completely stunned by her words. _How... why is this happening? _"I gotta talk to someone, _please. _You saw the box yourself, Cait, you must be able to do something at least."

She shook her head and straightened, clasping her hands together on the desk. "Jayce, if I could, I would've already dealt with it. I'm powerless," she answered and her voice caught a soothing tone. "I apologize, but—"

"No!" he growled and brought down his fist again, only this time a large crack split the table into two. "This is outrageous; what nation won't provide its denizens with justice?! What the hell is wrong with this place?!"

"Silence," snapped Caitlyn coolly. "Don't you dare talk to me like that. Piltover has done everything for you, every success and every bit of fame is all thanks to the government and its hardworking employees." She sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her pointy nose. "I'm sorry, it was rude to yell at you. But Jayce, I beg you to listen: I can't do anything."

He had known that the words were going to hurt him but hadn't estimated in what quantity the knowledge would pain. It was like he was all alone in a dark maze, searching for the nonexistent exit without any source of light. "Caitlyn..." he started and swallowed.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

Jayce fell down on his knees and pleadingly held out his hands towards her, facing the floor instead of her. _She must listen to me. I need her help. _"Couldn't you do this as a favor for me? Please," he begged and his voice wavered. "I-I can't do this alone... I need you, Cait. And if you can't do this as the Sheriff, could you do this as yourself?"

_I've risked it all_, Jayce thought grimly and tried to not crumble in despair. _She must surely understand what I mean by this. I'm certain that she feels something for me as well – as for the late nights now and then – but will she embrace it? _His arms were shaking in tension but he waited patiently, ready to hear her answer, but when she stayed continuously silent for a couple of minutes, he spoke again. "Caitlyn, I lo—"

"Get out."

It felt like she had hit him straight across his jaw. Jayce abruptly rose up to his feet and searched for her face in the process. Caitlyn had turned away the chair, directing it towards the window, and he was unable to see her. The only thing disturbing the perfect silhouette of her office chair was Caitlyn's signature purple hat.

"Cait—"

"Get out."

Her voice was perfectly composed, sounding neutral but harsh enough to clarify her statement. She didn't want him here. "Is it hard to understand what I'm telling you? _Leave._"

"I do understand," he replied and tried to sound calm even though his mind was rioting. _See what you did? Now it's over. She's never going to be yours._ "But I wonder why," he continued, clenching his fists. "What did I say wrong? Oh, I never got to finish the sentence. Cait, I lo—"

All of a sudden, he was staring into the gun barrel of her specially designed rifle.

Not a sentimental nor poetic person, Caitlyn had never chosen a name for the intricate weapon and only few knew who had really made it. Officially, it was stated that her mother had constructed the rifle, but Jayce had been told by her personally that she stole it from an investigation years ago. It had been lying packaged in a box, as if the weapon was waiting for her to come and get it, and the Sheriff became persuaded by the complicated design and its many capabilities, seizing the rifle for herself. It was her darkest secret – if not the only secret – one could find about her, and Caitlyn had shared it with him soon after they became lovers in bed. "It is one of few things I cherish the most in the world," she had told him and Jayce had expected something else, _something about him, _to be mentioned shortly afterwards, but she had ended the conversation immediately and fallen asleep in his arms. It was definitely one of his happiest memories with her, a time when he wasn't so foolishly in love with her.

"Cait," he said slowly, abhorred that she might pull the trigger. "Please—"

"Get the fuck out of my office and don't you dare try to enter again."

Her back was still turned to him and she was holding the rifle in her right hand, bending her arm backwards and resting the weapon on the top of the chair's backseat. The heavy gun sank down into the brown leather and a sharp, protruding object made a mark in the material. Caitlyn could shoot as well with her left arm as with her right, even though she was right-handed, and facts didn't terrify less if one knew about her exceptionally, almost unnaturally, sharp aim.

"_Leave_," she said, her voice slightly colder.

Jayce winced involuntarily and gestured for her to calm down, even though he knew that she couldn't see him. "Cait, take it easy, I just—"

"I will restrain you for harassing a police officer. This could lead to trial and prison. Are you aware of that?"

He realized that she was impossible to reach and abstained from answering. _It's over. _ The brilliant inventor exited the Sheriff's office in silence, his head slightly lowered in defeat and disappointment. _I really thought she would do this for me... Seems like I'm nothing more than an idiot. I was her pet all along, wasn't I? Some kind of sextoy, right? How repulsive._

"'Sup, Jayce? Where you at?"

Jayce waved her away but the pink-haired woman was armed with her gigantic gauntlets, and she easily blocked his way. "Trouble in paradise?"

Her tone was playful but also comforting in a way. He inhaled deeply before meeting her curious, sapphire-colored eyes and shook his head.

"It seems like the two of us were on different terms," he replied without even knowing why he was trusting her. _She'll probably tell Caitlyn all about this but who cares. My life is shattered._ "You understand, I hope. Now could you please let me pass?"

Vi stared at him in disbelief but he saw that she had immediately realized what he meant. Jayce tried to avert his gaze but he was unable to; the short woman in front of him seemed utterly taken aback... almost like he had bought her an expensive gift. "Excuse me?" he asked carefully, well aware that even a "friendly" hit from Vi would crush his bones. "I don't want to stick around longer than necessary; Cait threatened to shoot me."

Vi peeked over his shoulder – she was forced to jump – and raised a pink eyebrow. "I told you she's on her monthly. What did you call her? Fat?"

Jayce chuckled. "If only it would be that easy. I was trying to tell her that I lo—"

"Uh-uh," interrupted Vi and sighed. "She really hates that word."

"I noticed," he answered dryly and rubbed his chin. _I need to shave_. "Do you perhaps think that I could give you a message to pass to her?"

"No way." She cleared he throat. "She almost shot me last time we argued and now since we are on relatively good terms, I don't wanna get into any shit. You're on your own, handsome."

Jayce finally looked away. "Alright," he simply said. "Am I allowed to leave?"

She nodded and he hurried out of the police station, as quickly as he could, and headed directly towards his apartment with only one thought processing in his mind – _I got to make a weapon strong enough to defeat Viktor._


	8. Chapter 2:3

**CHAPTER 2:3**

"Damn!"

Jayce irritably threw away the piece of paper he was making a sketch on and sighed heavily. "Things just don't work out as they should today."

He had been sitting up all night and day during these last couple of weeks, only surviving on high-caffeine drinks, take-away food and some naps now and then. Jayce was still keeping in shape regularly with occasional jogging trips and other exercises, but other than that, the handsome inventor had barely seen the skies of Valoran. Claire had still not been repaired since he was waiting for a new processor from a special store in Piltover Industrial, at the ground level of the modern city-state. It was actually refreshing for once to not hear the AI's endless stock of sarcastic comments, but he felt and knew, that he was more lonely than ever.

"Seems like I've gotten the habit of talking to myself," he muttered and scoffed. "I guess this is what a life in solitary does to people, especially those who are used to talk a lot."

_I miss her_, he thought and moodily threw a glance out of the window closest to him. A storm was hovering above Piltover and the hailing rain whipped against the thick glass. _I miss her so much... but does she feel the same? No... probably not. That's not Cait._

"Enough of that." Jayce shook his head and rose from the chair. "Enough of the talking as well." _I better get some air even at a day like this. A bar seems pleasant enough. And no more thoughts about her; she clearly stated her opinion thoroughly._

He saw the handle of an umbrella lying under a couple of magazines and bent down to pick it up. The front pages caught his attention; it was the latest Journal of Justice and the local governmental newspapers, both of them showing a similar picture on their spreads: two warriors; a large, bulky man accompanied by a slender but muscular woman with black hair. He immediately recognized the latter as Fiora Laurent, a world famous duelist with more wins than anyone could remember but herself and as famous for her gracious skill with the sword as with her tongue. Jayce had met her once in Demacia, at a party for the privileged where his mother had been invited, and she had completely knocked him over, literally. She spoke as if her words were sacred and that everyone should write them down to remember for eternity, not even once listening to what he had to say. Of course had he avoided meeting her ever since.

_Poor man getting caught by that woman_, thought Jayce, grimacing at the retrospect, but suddenly lightened up. On the picture, the man – Darius, it said – held Fiora's hand gently in his and his other arm was around her waist. The couple seemed slightly troubled, reading by their facial expressions, but nothing less was expected from them than that. Jayce had read the articles several times by now – not noticing the familiar face even once – and was surprised that something as corrupted like that could have happened right beneath the noses of the Council of Equity, the three most powerful summoners in the Institute of War and with that, whole Runeterra. Few journalists had been allowed to enter the Tribunal and its unique case and that only with the allowance to write nothing else but truth and facts. Swain had been killed and Noxus was in a riot, or in a civil war, the rich families and generals fighting each other for the title as the Grand General. The nation was shattered into chaos and every resource available from the Institute of War had been assigned to there, summoners and champions alike. The one most likely to rise to power was someone from the Du Couteau family, and eyes all over the world were focusing especially on Katarina Du Couteau, who presently was holding speeches in Demacia, and to find out more about her rumored relationship with the commander of the Dauntless Vanguard.

Jayce found it interesting to see how much the death of the Master Tactitian – as Jericho Swain was named as well – had changed the course of events in Runeterra. The impending war against Ionia had been permanently ceased and Noxus was trying to bind ties to the other city-states, even the nation's nemesis, Demacia. Things were starting to brighten, but Jayce knew that if Viktor would be let loose with the ancient artifact, it wouldn't take long before another international crisis occurred.

_Something like this can easily lead to a third Rune War, one only needs the right resources and the motivation, _he thought grimly and pulled out the black umbrella from beneath the stack of papers. _And a war of such a scale could easily involve Piltover... and Caitlyn as well. Even though Viktor might perhaps not stand and make an army of his own to rule the world, he can and will most likely sell or use the box to his advantage. Maybe unite Zaun and Bilgewater?_

Jayce clenched his hand around the wooden handle of the umbrella until his knuckles whitened. Anger filled every inch of his body whenever he thought about his former friend and life didn't get any easier when thinking about the Sheriff. He had honestly not been able to sleep because whenever he closed his eyes, he saw only her.

_I'm going completely mad and it's not because I've poked half of my brain out during a surgery involving mutilating my body and mending it with synthetic parts_. He sighed and pulled on a jacket appropriate for the weather and comfortable shoes. _I really could use a drink; maybe with my luck, I'll even meet Cait._

Half an hour later, he entered the Cresent Moon, an upper-class nighttime bar and restaurant where he hoped not to meet anyone he knew. Not because he wanted to be alone, but he simply couldn't deal with the questions that would immediately be thrown at him. Jayce had actually hoped to meet Vi – who had the maybe strangest appetite all over Valoran that only this place seemed to be able to please – but her usual seat by the bar was empty. He approached a free bar stool next to a man clad in dark, his attire at first looking frighteningly similar to Viktor's, but Jayce soon saw the blonde thatch of hair, hidden beneath a gray cap, and exhaled.

_Like Viktor would've decided to stay in Piltover for two weeks drinking and partying for his success, _mused Jayce and chuckled. _Some fool I am. Superstitious as well, I see._

"Something funny?"

It sounded threatening at first but the blonde man spun his chair towards him and gave him a crooked smile, holding a toothpick between two fair-skinned fingers. He was sitting nonchalantly, leaning backwards to the bar counter and put away the tiny, green plastic stick. His eyes were large and sharp blue, looking both curious and scornful at the same time, and he eyed Jayce from head to toe. "Name is Kayden." he then said and offered his hand.

Jayce took it, after a certain moment of hesitation, and replied politely. "Jayce, nice to meet you."

Kayden nodded. "Likewise," he said and paused, rubbing his chin before gingerly continuing. "You don't look too well; anything happened?"

Jayce settled down on the chair with a heavy sigh and waved for the bartender's attention while answering. "I guess it's a normal problem that occurs every once in a while," he said and ordered a drink.

"A woman I see," affirmed the stranger and smirked. He pulled his cap to the side and asked the bartender to give him another round as well. "You cheated on her? Saw her cheating on you? Bad sexlife?"

Jayce chuckled. "No, no, no." He placed the point of his umbrella to the floor and leaned its body against his chair. "Quite frankly, I would have preferred it to be like that; something I actually could see the logic in. But..."

He sighed again and the barman came back with their alcoholic beverages. One small glass of whiskey for him and a mug of beer for Kayden. The two of them thanked for the service and the blonde-haired man immediately made the gesture to pay when Jayce interrupted him.

"We don't pay after each drink," he explained kindly and the stranger raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah, employees trust the people to keep in check themselves and would never make it any more expensive just because you're a tourist."

"H-how honorable," stuttered Kayden surprised by his words. "Something like this could never work out from where I come from."

"Not honorable," corrected Jayce and sipped the drink. "Honest." He drank again. "So where do you come from?"

_I can't recognize any special local accent from him and facts have already been stated that he's not from Piltover,_ thought Jayce and regarded the man thoroughly. _He wears no special colours that can be connected to any of the nations and what I can see he seems quite human, so let's rule out the chance that he's from the Shadow Isles._

"Well," said the stranger and finished his ale in one sweep. "It's a long story but I guess you got time." When Jayce didn't answer, he continued. "I was left by my parents and taken in by an orphanage at six years of age. Things got quickly out of hand; I hated the place there."

The blonde clutched his glass and Jayce almost thought it would break by the tension of his fingers. "It's alright, you could skip the details if you'd like," he hurried to say and turned his chair towards the man. "We all have our dark periods."

"Things weren't just 'dark'", Kayden made quote signs in the air, "but sick. It was all boy-coed, you see and do you know what happens when old, perverted men are in a house full of youthful males?" His eyes grew dark and his jaw tightened. "It was all the government's fault, you see. They put sentenced criminals into orphanages and let them take care of us, just to save money and space in the overcrowded prisons."

"That's just..." Jayce paused, trying hard to find the appropriate word for the situation. "Atrocious. Utterly disgusting," he said and put away his drink. "I apologize."

Kayden suddenly lighted up and gave him a grin. "Nothing to be sorry about," he replied and shrugged as Jayce stared, his eyes widened in shock, at him. "It became a part of the past since long and I've moved on." He stifled a yawn and looked at the empty beer glasses in front of him. "I was soon saved by a woman and her husband, both of them rich, beautiful and famous, but unable to conceive a child."

A genuine smile slowly spread across his lips. "They took me in like I was their long lost family member and I spent the rest of my childhood in a bliss. Every day was an eventful day and the three of us lived happy... until the day my 'mother' became pregnant."

Jayce listened intensely to the story and ordered another round of beverages, both for him and for Kayden. He was beginning to feel better actually, hearing the life of a complete stranger, and started to forget about his own troubles. He couldn't really put his finger on it, but the way the blonde-haired man spoke was astonishingly captivating and he didn't want it to stop.

Kayden thanked politely for what must be his fifth glass of beer but didn't seem even the slightest disoriented by the alcohol. "So of course her husband was cheerful and the household – they had a lot of servants and other stuff – was abundant with joy during these nine months of anticipation. I was also dragged into the merry mood but something else gnawed on my mind."

"You see, I had heard something from the couple's bedroom two weeks before the statement was made official," he continued and gripped his drink, eyes focusing on something in the distance. "Sounds of love that, of course I was familiar with already, but the funny thing is that the master of the house was presently not at home, but away on a trip. It was not until it was too late when I understood that she had been fucking another man, which later on was revealed to be her butler."

"Anyways," said Kayden and soaked his lips. "I didn't want to ruin the family we were and would be, so I let the matter stay at hand, not telling anyone anything. Time passed and a baby girl was born at March, 16th, a chilly morning when the sun had just risen. I was about fourteen at the time and outside practicing my wooden sword on a dummy when I heard the scream. I came in just in time, sweaty and panicking if something would go wrong, when I saw the exhausted but delighted mother and her real child. Her husband was next to her and clutching her hand so tightly I thought her slender bones would break."

"Time passed again and that was when I made the probably biggest mistake of my life." Kayden chuckled softly and finally met Jayce's intrigued gaze. His voice wavered almost imperceptibly as he continued his tale but the Piltoveran noticed it immediately. "I became jealous at the attention the little baby girl they got – who they named Kayla, after me – and you know how foolish children that age might behave. I was scared that my new parents would stop loving me and give me away to an orphanage as my real parents had done, and decided to tell about the betrayal, also finding proof enough to show my honesty."

He huffed and crossed his legs. "I thought that if my 'father' heard the truth, he would banish Kayla and the butler – who was still fucking his wife – and tend to only me. He was a good man and had taught me everything I knew at the time about life. He was an outstanding teacher and also showed me how to use a sword." Kayden paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "How did I know he would go totally crazy and kill everyone in the household?"

Jayce suddenly felt the urge to interrupt. "Wait, what do you mean by _kill_?" he asked. "And you don't seem especially dead."

"Well, I survived," he answered and smirked. "Though I do have some scars from his rampage. You wanna have a look?"

Jayce shook his head and Kayden grinned. "Thought so," he said and lowered his voice. "You see, he became mad and went lose with his gun and shot his wife in the head twice, then her stomach and at last he spread her legs and shot her in every hole, so to speak. He also shot Kayla in the same way though not between her legs. Soon afterwards, he shot everyone else in the house, servants and pets alike, and at last, to end his grand finale, threw himself off the roof of the mansion and was pierced by a pitchfork. I guess he was hoping it would hit him in the heart so he could die immediately but it pierced through his stomach and let him bleed to death."

_That... was a very dark turn of events_, thought Jayce and shivered even though he did not feel cold. _But he's speaking and describing so very well... how does he know it all? _"I don't want to be rude but how exactly can you retell this in such detail?" wondered Jayce.

Kayden emptied his ale and rose up, flashing Jayce a sly smile, his countenance suddenly dry with any of his earlier emotions. "Your dear officer told me," he said and smiled crookedly, pointing at the other end of the restaurant. "After all, she was the one saving me from myself."

Jayce abruptly rose up from his bar stool and turned his gaze towards where Kayden was gesturing, terrified that Caitlyn would have been sitting there all the while without him noticing her, but found nothing but an old picture. He recognized it in an instant; it was after all he who had taken the photo when Caitlyn's private police station had finished its construction a couple of years ago. She stood with her colleagues and an overjoyed Vi, all of them smiling widely. Jayce could still remember everything that had happened during the day, how Vi "slipped" and fell on the red fabric tape that Caitlyn had been given the honor to cut to inaugurate the new building and the laughing afterwards, how they were to share a gigantic cupcake – Caitlyn's favorite thing to eat – and Vi – who surprisingly enough had made it herself – gave the first piece to Jayce, and how fortunate the night had developed as Caitlyn followed him home and stayed the whole night with him. It was truly one of his happiest memories with her.

"What are you talking about? She's not here," exclaimed Jayce irritably. "And you must be lying; how could you have met her before me?"

Nobody answered and Jayce whipped around, ready with another angry reply, but was met with nothingness.

_He must've ran out_, thought Jayce and sighed furiously. _He didn't even pay for his drinks. Good going Jayce, getting taxed by probably a homeless drunkard._

Jayce motioned towards the bar and picked up his card. "How much?" he asked and the bartender hurried to him.

"That'll be seventy gold, sir," answered the barman.

"'Seventy'?" replied Jayce, slightly taken aback. "But what about my... eh, friend?"

The young, dark-haired bartender looked confused and looked about. "Who are you speaking of? I haven't seen anyone with you."

"A blonde asshole who's been drinking cheap beer," said Jayce and pulled back his hair. _What the fuck is this? A joke? _"My height, wearing dark clothes and a gray cap."

"Sir..." The barman took his card and pulled it through a scanner. "You've been alone all along."

**A/N:**

**If you wanna know more about Darius and Fiora,feel free to read my other fanfic,Elegance in Death. **

**I'll follow my own course of events throughout my stories that imma post on FF and if you want to keep up **

**as good as possible,reading my earlier works could be helpful ^-^**


	9. Chapter 2:4

**CHAPTER 2:4**

_He never actually told me where he came from, nor what his parents names were. I know nothing about him than his looks and his first name, but he was probably lying about it all._

Jayce rolled over onto his stomach and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The night had been tough to endure and not only because of the horrid weather, but due to his nightmares as well. They had been incredibly vivid and much too real; he had dreamed about Kayden and his horrible past _and_ being cut up into pieces by Viktor. He didn't know what dream was the best.

_Kayden... why does that sound so damn familiar? Where is it I've heard exactly that name? The news or the radio? Maybe from Caitlyn and Vi? Or Viktor?_

Then he remembered the last words the stranger had told him. It was obvious that Kayden had meant Caitlyn when mentioning "officer", even though Jayce couldn't recall even once hearing of Cait with any other title than sheriff. She was the embodiment of Piltoveran justice, the brilliant city's symbol of low-criminal ratios and excellent police force. Surely _someone_ had heard or knew about Caitlyn's past in more detail but that someone could be anyone Jayce saw on the street. Any man or woman; maybe her old school teacher; her mother's friend; her cousins; her father's nieces; _anyone_. It would be practically impossible to track them all down to interrogate them and they would probably not even be able to answer all of his questions, least of all willingly take part of his private interrogation of the Sheriff of Piltover.

"_... and we'll be back after the news! Good morning Brenda; what's going on right now?_"

"_Hi, Brad, and good morning to you too. After a lot of debating, the Council of Equity have finally chosen to act, which was required of them to do all along. The body of Vessaria Kolminye has also been identified – the third member of the Council – and it has now been made official: Evaine Leblanc, I repeat, Evaine LeBlanc has been put up as a wanted target all over Valoran. Thus far, Ionia have still not agreed to this contract nor the Shadow Isles, but I am guessing it will only be a matter of time. Whomever finds, contacts or sees this person is to report immediately to his or her nation's government and there will be a reward for eventual bounty hunters seeking the wanted out. But extra warning _is _to notify as the two remaining councilpersons strictly forbids any civilians to take action. If you are not a member of a legitimate guild, you'll have to be tested in the Institute of War for a permission. That was it for the day; Cathy White reporting for Piltover Channel One from the Institute of War. Have a continued good morning._"

Jayce turned off his radio and sighed. _If only I could,_ he thought grimly and hastily rose from the bed, leaving it unmade. He readied himself onto the wooden floor and quickly did a dozen of push-ups and some stretching exercises. As he quickly got up on his feet again, he happened to to knock an empty glass over and it rolled under his bed.

"Damn," he muttered and crouched down to reach for the fleeing cup when his hand met something razor-sharp.

_Ouch! What was that?_

Furrowing his brows and retaliating out of pure instinct and unpleasant surprise, Jayce carefully put in his hand in the space between his bed and the floor. His hand glided across the smooth wood and searched for the sharp object again. It had inched away even further because of his earlier motion but he soon found it again and gripped it immediately, almost if he was afraid to lose it. The glass which had gotten him there in the first place was all forgotten.

He pulled out his arm and found a streak of blood tracing down his forearm but ignored it. Instead he focused on the small thing which was the source of his wound, unfolding his fingers to reveal it. Jayce almost cried out in sheer happiness.

It was a shard, but not just any ordinary piece of rubbish; he could in an instant recognize the soft, blue-glowing pattern all across the object and his hand started shaking in anticipation. _Is this truly a piece of the ancient artifact that Ezreal found? It must be, _Jayce thought excitedly and examined it closer. _Yes it has to be. With this I have proof; I must take this to Caitlyn immediately. The government can't take this away from me. This will be enough to show her reality of the total domination Piltover demands from its citizens – and those who fail to follow these rules._

The usual route to the Sheriff's private police station was heavily trafficked due to the arrival of Katarina Du Couteau, later that day. She was to hold a speech some time after four, Jayce remembered, and later on dine with the statesmen of Piltover. Caitlyn had told him some while ago that she was ordered to govern the safety of Du Couteau's arrival, together with her escort, and that this event hardly was an easy job to pull off. Not only would they have to station hundreds of more police officers and other security guards all over Piltover, but keep an eye out for the mazes beneath the city as well. Everything was barricaded for just this day and Jayce had forgotten it all, due to his personal problems. He only hoped that he would be able to catch Caitlyn at the police station, or at least Vi, to show the shard. It was pulsating in his pocket – still unexpectedly heavy for its tiny size – like it was poking for his attention as he finally parked his bike outside his goal.

"Hey? Caitlyn? It's urgent," he called and entered the lobby. There was still no attendant there and he could freely continue towards her office. "Cait? Are you here?"

"Jayce? What are you doing here?"

At first he thought the mocking voice to be Caitlyn and turned around with a snappish reply at his lips, but Vi gave him a grin and waved her gigantic gauntlet of a hand at him. "Did I get her tone good enough? Or didn't I sound stuck-up enough?"

"Yes, I think you got it quite alright," he answered and relaxed. _Maybe Vi would be the easier one to talk to, since she, after all, is a former criminal. Double standards or not; I think she will support me_, Jayce quickly thought and cleared his throat. _And maybe she knows something about Kayden__. _"You actually had me for a while," he admitted and smiled slightly.

Vi shrugged but seemed happy by his answer. "Well, I've had better imitations." She smirked. "'Oh, look at me; I'm on the case'."

She made such a good impression that it made Jayce laugh. "I see you've got enough time to perfect even her sill-" He interrupted himself before she could notice anything and continued. "-striking accent."

"Right."

He couldn't help smiling. "Don't tell her."

"Then you tell me what you're doing here searching for her," she instantly replied and placed her hands on her hips. "I've already guessed that you two are on cool terms, but I thought you told me she'd threatened to shoot you in the head."

Jayce scratched the back of his head and just then realized that he hadn't shaved nor eaten breakfast yet. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled so loudly that not even Vi could have missed it. "Maybe we should talk this over some brunch?"

They arrived at a café shortly afterwards, just a five minutes walk from the police station. Jayce ordered black coffee and a vegetarian sandwich, and Vi, surprisingly enough, declined his offers to pay.

"And here I thought I finally had met a woman who didn't care to follow a diet," teased Jayce as they sat down in a comfortable corner with pillowy chairs in red and yellow. He had never been there before but the service went smooth and fast, and the place was comfy so he didn't mind, even though the sound of the traffic right outside was loud and pierced through the windows. Fortunately, someone had thoughtfully installed some speakers into the roof and the sound from the street was slightly dampened by soft, acoustic songs.

"Uh-uh," replied Vi and held up a warning finger. "I can't eat with these on. And don't try your charms on me, sir."

Jayce sipped his hot beverage while raising an inquiring eyebrow. Vi shrugged and leaned back in the chair, folding her legs meanwhile. "You know what I'm talking about," she continued nonchalantly. "You just walk around dazzling women from left to right but that won't be happening to me, nope."

He almost choked on his coffee and quickly put it down. "What are you blabbering about?" he asked confusedly. "I just talk normally with everyone, whether it's a woman or a man, Noxian or Demacian." He grimaced. "Which makes me wonder: will Cait be busy all day today?"

Vi nodded. "Oh, and guys as well. I guess gay people adore you. Maybe you could forget Caitlyn and get together with eh... what's his face?"

"Who?"

"Blonde..."

"Next?"

"Young..."

"Hmm..."

"Cocky..."

Jayce sighed and rolled with his eyes. "Ezreal? You serious? Worst joke ever, Vi," he said and took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Come on, that's the only thing you can read about in the Journal of Justice." Jayce shot her an angry glare and she quickly corrected herself. "Not about you two; the kid has joined the League," she continued and grinned widely. "They are already mocking his age and looks."

"You are too, apparently," mumbled Jayce. "Though you're making fun of his sexuality as well. And what rubbish are you reading? I haven't heard anything about Ezreal's acceptance into the League."

"Well, it was rather loud about that," Vi answered and scratched the back of her head with one large, metallic finger. "But also quieted a lot. He was frankly forced into the place. What I heard it was some of his adventures that got him there, ironically enough." She scoffed. "Seems like it isn't especially hard to join the League. You just need to do something grand."

Jayce drank his coffee again. "You sound awfully well-briefed, Vi," he replied sternly. "Are you sure this isn't some foolish rumor?"

_This explains why Ezreal wasn't able to 'prove' the box to be true, _Jayce thought grimly. _He was at the Institute all along. I must find a way to talk to him_. "And why does it feel like you're very interested in joining the Institute of War? You want to become a 'champion', to be summoned and used as a toy?"

"To answer your first question, yes I am," she said. "Caitlyn told me herself. She even asked me to help her file the report." Vi sighed. "She's so tired nowadays that I don't even know what can make her smile. All of my efforts are completely in vain."

Jayce chose not to comment this, afraid that Vi was just testing him out. "Then what about the rest of my questions?"

Vi was quiet for a while before answering and she sounded more honest than he had ever heard her before. "I guess I don't really feel at ease here. Caitlyn and I haven't had a good investigation in what feels like years and something is bothering her more than I could ever get a grip on. We're just sliding apart, slowly but surely, for each passing day and I don't know how to stop it." Her shoulders hunched and she placed her hands in her lap. "Maybe if I could get a semester things will be alright when I return. I just need some time away from her, I guess, and I thought that today would be a perfect opportunity to proceed with that. I was thinking about traveling to Demacia or to Bilgewater, and just live life for a while. Something I have been hindered to do all along."

"I understand," said Jayce and gave her a reassuring smile. "We all feel like that sometimes. If you want, I could talk to Caitlyn as soon as possible and explain. You can go whenever you want to, but please tell me before."

Vi smiled widely. "I will, thanks."

They were silent while Jayce finished his meal. He felt that Vi had a thing to ask – as he had of her – but was polite enough to wait for him to eat up. This was something he had never expected from the pink-haired woman and as a passing employee cleaned their table, he was ready to answer practically anything for her as the waitress tidied up and left them.

"So... what was it that you were searching Caitlyn for?" she asked curiously.

"Well," he started and searched his pocket for the fragment. "I was assigned by the government to study a foreign box of some sort – an artifact that Ezreal actually found – that wouldn't open for anything, and I accepted the job." Jayce pulled it out and gently placed in on the table. "Viktor came to visit me and-"

"Woach, take it again from there." Vi furrowed her brows. "'Viktor'? That crazy robot-dude?"

"He's _not_ a robot," Jayce snapped, surprised by himself. _Why do I defend him? _"He's only partly made of synthetic materials. Other than that, he's as human as the rest of us. And he... well, I guess I could say he was my friend."

Vi whistled impressed. "So you were friends with the most crazed man in this world," she said with a serious tone but then couldn't stop herself from laughing. "You really are something, do you know that?"

"It seems so." Jayce sighed. "Can I continue?"

"_Please_."

He rolled with his eyes. "Well, he came to visit me as old friends do," continued Jayce, putting weight on the words "old friends". "And by accident, he touched the box and it awakened." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "It was as good as dead; I had tried to pry it open for hours but it never even budged. But as it activated, an azure light illuminated from the pattern," he held up the fragment and traced a blue-glowing line with his finger, "and I don't know if it fried his hardware, but suddenly he showed his true self."

Jayce sighed again. "And he stole it. We didn't have some melodramatic argument nor a fistfight. He just left," he said. "And when I asked Caitlyn to help me, she declined and explained that the box had never existed in the first place. Nobody knew anything of it nor that I had it."

_I better leave out the fact that I showed Caitlyn the artifact shortly after having sex... it wouldn't be especially appropriate for either of us_, Jayce thought and stretched out. _And that about Ezreal is surely obvious by now. Let's hope she will understand._

Vi furiously slammed her fist into the wall. The whole building groaned in pain and Jayce jumped out of his seat in shock. _What the..._

"That is completely fucked up!"

The pink-haired woman punched the wall again and worried employees looked at her in fear. Jayce tried to calm her down and gently put his hand on her arm, afraid that she might hit him if he moved too fast.

"Vi, take it easy now, this café isn't made out of titanium," he said as he gripped her elbow. "Now let's take these off, shall we-"

"How can she do something to you? After all you've been through?" exclaimed Vi furiously and stared into the tiled floor. "Is she really that damn cold?"

"Vi," warned Jayce. "I'm not planning on dying today and especially not because of your temper."

Her arm was tense for an additional ten seconds before she calmed down. Vi took a deep breath and lowered her hand to be hanging on her left side. Jayce hesitated, ready to act if she would punish the wall again, before sitting down on his chair and exhaling. "I know, I know," he said and rubbed his prickly chin. "And I was wondering if you could talk her into some sense together with me."

He took the dark fragment and placed it inside his chest pocket. "Now that I have some proof, she'll be glad to listen to me." _I hope._

Vi abruptly stood up. "She'll be damned if she declines. I'll make her feel some real _pain_." She then grinned mischievously. "Seems like I finally have a good excuse to knock some sense into that woman. This must be my lucky day. Let's go, handsome."


	10. Chapter 2:5

**A/N:**

**Wow, this took longer than expected :/**

**Having these rare occasions of complete clairvoyance just seem to happen once in a while and doesn't last especially long I see D: I did have a writing frenzy last week but it seems like that is gone now... But FEAR NOT, cuz the next chapter is here!**

**(Yes, I'm looking forward to Garen ;D)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2:5**

"Perhaps you should stay outside."

Vi raised an eyebrow and huffed, crossing the pavement at his side. "I'll stay calm, just relax."

They were right outside the City Hall of Piltover and were brusquely shoved aside by security guards until Vi showed her badge and they let the two of them enter. The streets were packed with people wanting to snatch a glimpse of the infamous Noxian and Jayce guessed that over a hundred –personally handpicked and interrogated by Caitlyn – officers were patrolling in and outside the building in an attempt to keep everything in check. To Jayce's surprise and slight discomfort, they were heavily armed in a full attire; some with riot shields, others with machine guns, and it was a wonder they hadn't already passed out in exhaustion. He could see it in their faces as Vi led him through the beautifully decorated courtyard in front of the City Hall and was confronted with another safety measure.

"I would like to see your identification card and confiscate any weapons you might carry for the moment."

Vi sighed. "Do I look unfamiliar to you, Teddy?" she asked dryly.

The officer confusedly looked at her and then pointed at her gauntlets. "I would recognize you even without those, Vi," he replied and then looked quickly at Jayce. "But chief's regulations; I got to check everyone."

"I think I deserve to be somewhat of an exception to that rule," said Vi and pulled up her badge again. It never stopped amazing Jayce how elegantly she could move with those gigantic gloves. He just saw them as clumpy objects, way too heavy for any person to be able to carry, and impractical overall. Where did Vi store them? Buy parts for them? Who was capable of keeping them in check? Vi was certainly not; he had seen her try to "fix" a broken microwave and that resulted in a minor explosion and lots of burnt hair.

"Maybe if you'd stop calling me Teddy..." started the man but was immediately interrupted.

"Not happening." Vi grinned at him and handed him the purple card; Caitlyn's choice of color of course. "See? It's me, _Teddy_."

"Oh really?"

He returned the badge and Vi quickly shoved it down her back pocket. Jayce was able to see a tiny picture of her and the sloppily drawn lines of her signature. _Vi Skylar. _"Just because you and I are so close buddies, Teddy, you'll of course let Mr. Handsome here join. I think you recognize him actually... he's a very, _very_ close friend of Cait's and a little less of mine."

The man Jayce knew nothing more of than being called "Teddy" exhaled and shook his head. The inventor gave him an apologetic smile and held forward his hand. "Jayce, pleasure to meet you."

"Theodore," answered the officer and took his hand. His hair was hidden beneath a black helmet with a darkened visor but his eyebrows and eyes were still visible. Guessing that he hadn't dyed his hair in another color, Jayce knew that the man in front of him was dark-haired. Navy blue eyes examined him at the same time but in what felt like a critical view. Theodore was much shorter than him and was forced to look up at him.

"Right, Officer Teddy," stated Jayce and his smile widened. When Theodore looked back at him in dismay, he hurried to excuse himself. "I wasn't being serious; I couldn't stop myself from saying it."

Theodore sighed again and waved Jayce to follow Vi who had already started strolling towards the main building. "Just go, I have more important business to deal with than you two. Keep her in check." Then he pushed in a small button on the left side of his helmet. "One civilian and one officer have entered the perimeter, start an overall scan over the Nest again and send the next group out."

"Won't you take her weapons?" asked Jayce as he started backing after Vi who already was entering the great doors of the City Hall, still facing the officer.

"She'll do better with them on," called Theodore after him with a sudden genuine smile. "After all, she was the one saving me from myself. That wouldn't have been possible without her gauntlets. I owe her."

_How sweet to hear that she's saved some lives at least_, thought Jayce and turned around towards the City Hall, continuously walking. _But what might have happened to that guy? He was insufferable at first but then sounded really happy... _He suddenly stiffened and a terrifying coldness swept over his body.

_After all, she was the one saving me from myself._

Someone was behind him.

* * *

She looked about and made sure that she was alone before quietly rereading the letter for what must be the thirty-fourth time by now. Or at least, that was how far she had counted.

_I've missed you somewhat terribly during the years but I was forced to make sure that I could control it; I never wanted to harm you, really, I didn't. Same thing goes for the rest of your police crew... but at least you got promoted, didn't you?_

_Don't fright, I've just kept a watchful eye out for you – or well, perhaps more than just _one_ eye – and you've really changed a lot for the better of the world. The famous Sheriff of Piltover misses nobody's eyes and your records are spotless. Nobody has been able to escape nor evade your investigations... but I'm going to make a change to that._

_I know everything about you._

_I know your heart's deepest desire._

_I know what you really think about _him_._

_I know you better than you think and I'm going to prove the world wrong by exposing your weaknesses. Maybe not today nor tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow, but some day, you'll finally recognize your faults even in the perfection you've so delicately manufactured. Don't try, Miss Sophisticated, even you have your darkness and I know them all. Now when I've finally mastered it, nothing can stop me, and you know it. Everything comes to an end; even you. Fear the shadows of your past... because I'm there waiting for you._

_- C_

_P.S. I've missed you, Cait. I'm looking forward to this game of ours._

As always when she finished reading, an unexplainable chill filled her senses and made her shiver. Caitlyn had tried to recognize the handwriting but no matter how long she sat staring at the sheet of paper, she couldn't figure out anything.

_I know __that I know __these "__a"'s... and his or hers "c"'s... but the letter's content carry nothing else of value; I don't understand anything of what the writer is saying. _Caitlyn frowned and sank down in the nearest armchair. _"Fear the shadows of your past"... what can it possibly mean? What shadows? What is it that I'm missing here?_

She exhaled and dropped the letter to the ground. The smooth material of the paper slithered down her bare legs and landed on her right foot. Caitlyn irritably kicked it away but it flew back to her again. _Like abandoning a puppy; Impossible to throw away._

Someone knocked on the door and Caitlyn responded. "Who is it? Anything about Lady Du Couteau?"

"No," came a nonchalant answer and Caitlyn rolled with her eyes. _Vi._

"Then your welcome to enter, Vi," she replied and the pink-haired woman stormed in, her expression indicating how much aggravated she was. It surprised Caitlyn how calm her partner had sounded outside the door.

"What is it that you want?" asked Caitlyn sarcastically and crossed her legs. She was tired after having worked nonstop since the day before the arrival of Du Couteau and her entourage. Securtiy was her highest priority at the moment and the Sheriff hadn't been sleeping for over forty-eight hours. The heavy bags under her eyes vexed her intensely but she had ignored them for a while now.

Vi didn't even bother closing the door behind her but pointed accusingly at Caitlyn. "What crap have you been selling? 'Cause it sure ain't working; Jayce found a part of the box under his bed."

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" she wondered coolly. "When did you meet Jayce? Where is he?"

"Don't wiggle your way out of this, Miss Perfect; tell me the truth," said Vi, ignoring what Caitlyn had asked. "Someone with such an _impeccable_ mind as yours could impossibly forget. Spit it out."

_She is angry_, thought Caitlyn calmly and examined the woman in front of her. _Her cheeks are slightly flushed, probably because her heart is beating rapidly; she must be serious about this, unfortunately enough. This is not a joke. __And her hair is slightly ruffled; since it's not windy outside – also unfortunately enough – it means she must have taken a ride... I know only one who could be able to maneuver with a fast vehicle in this crowd._

"So Jayce's here?" asked Caitlyn. Vi's surprised expression told her everything she needed to know. "I see. Tell him to leave; this is not a place for civilians."

"How can you be so cold?"

Caitlyn opened her mouth to answer when her earphone started vibrating. She quickly put her index finger on the green button and gestured for Vi to wait. "Report, Theodore," she commanded. "I'm in a hurry-"

"We have arrested a civilian who made himself into the Nest, Sheriff. I don't know if he's telling the truth-" She heard a furious voice call her name and then a grunt as he was silenced. _No doubt, that's Jayce, _she affirmed. "I apologize for the intrusion but the person claims that he knows you."

Caitlyn grimaced. The volume on her speaker was loud enough for Vi to be able to hear and the look of her partner was far from good. "Tell him that you know him," hissed Vi and frowned. "What are you waiting for?"

"Excuse me?" said the voice in her earphone and Caitlyn shook her head. "Nothing," she replied quickly and took a deep breath. "Could you tell me what the civilian's name is?" _Just to make sure._

There was a pause and an angry glare from Vi before the police officer said something. "He says his name is Jayce-" Another voice erupted and disturbed what the man had to say. "I apologize once again but he's highly aggressive. I may suggest that you should make your answer and that now,_little officer._"

Caitlyn didn't know if there was something wrong on the radio or that a breeze disrupted Theodore's voice, but his last sentenced sound oddly otherworldly and she frowned. "Excuse me, Theodore? Could you repeat the last?"

She heard the muffled noise of an order before his voice returned to her. "I said: I may suggest that you should make your answer and that now, Sheriff."

_I just imagined, that's all._ Caitlyn exhaled. _You're getting superstitious for nothing. The letter is just a joke from some bored kids... though how did they get my personal address? Do they know where I live? And if the person or persons behind this "prank" are serious, what exactly do they want? _"Stay put and don't let him escape; I'll just finish this up."

"Yes, Sheriff."

She looked at Vi who met her gaze with a harsh-mouthed expression. _How should I do with Jayce? Shall I ignore him? _Caitlyn rose up from her seat and approached the nearest window pointing out towards the courtyard and pulled aside the green velvet-curtains. Outside she could see a group of officers holding down a struggling figure and Caitlyn didn't have to think twice about who it was. She recognized his handsome countenance even at this distance, with his kind and intelligent eyes and the tiny dimple in his chin.

"What are you doing, Cait?"

She crossed her arms. "I can't involve him into this, Vi, I really can't." Caitlyn contemplated to tell her partner about the mysterious letter but then chose to abstain. _It's better if I leave as many people out of it as possible. For now, only I know about it, and whoever sent the envelope._

"Caitlyn, are you alright?" asked a concerned Vi and she nodded in return.

"It's nothing," replied Caitlyn then turned back towards the view from the window. "I'm just tired. Let me handle this, please."

_What is making him fight them so hard? It's hardly like him_, she mused and focused on him more intensely. _He seems almost... _She took a step back as his eyes flashed up to meet hers. His eyes were the color of the sky and she had always enjoyed the looks he gave her, but like this, she was taken aback; Jayce looked terrified.

She raised her fingers to the earphone. "Theodore." Nobody answered and she raised her voice and repeated herself. "Theodore?"

"Yes, Sheriff?"

Caitlyn could soon see where Theodore stood in the temporarily crowded place by the fountain and he looked up at her, giving her a friendly wave with his right hand. "I see you. Escort the stranger out please; I can't recognize his face."

"Wait, he came with-" started Vi angrily but Caitlyn brushed her off. The signal was dead and Theodore could no longer hear them.


	11. Chapter 3:1

**A/N:**

**Them spontaneous Barcelona trips with my parents...**

**I'm sorry for no update or no news; I've simply not have time with it ^^' I hope you didn't suffer too much in my absence, nor will hang me for being this late with the next chapter.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3:1**

There was a knock on his door that night.

Jayce didn't react until the visitor knocked once again and stiffly rose up from his seat by his workbench. His hair was a mess out of pulling in it too many times and he was wearing his favorite pair of loose-fitting sweatpants and a black t-shirt.

"I'm on my way!" he called out. In the darkness of his apartment, he checked the time on the clock he had put up on the wall. Ever since Claire had malfunctioned, his sense of time had gone cuckoo and he didn't even bother with proper dining routines.

_It's half past two_, he thought and frowned. _Who could want to visit a lonely, Piltoveran citizen at such an hour? Vi, perhaps?_

His features turned grim as her name passed his mind. It reminded him of the terribly embarrassing happening that had occurred a couple of hours earlier, when he had followed Vi into the restricted area of the City Hall. Jayce couldn't blame the whole incident on her, since she impossibly could have predicted it to happen, but he still held a slight grudge against her for being so completely humiliated in public. The guards had seized him by arms and legs and practically thrown him out of the courtyard. He hadn't even been able to meet Caitlyn and Vi had been nowhere near to help him out.

_Theodore._

Jayce shivered involuntarily as his fingers etched onto his door handle. The metal was cold beneath his touch, but not even close to as frozen he felt when he thought about the eerie coincidence. The police officer's smile was still clear as day in the back of Jayce's head and, to his utter abhorrence, _scared_ him whenever his mind thought to wander away into the course of the day.

Whoever it was outside his door, he or she started getting impatient and tried to ring the bell. Unfortunately, the doorbell to his apartment had gotten out of function with the temporary "death" of Claire, who managed all of the techmaturgical object in his home, and it had taken him quite the time and many arguments to convince his superstitious landlord – an old woman who lived on the ground floor with a lesser army of furry cats – that it wasn't his fault that he couldn't pay his bills.

_Though she has stopped harassing me for a while now, oddly enough, _he realized._ Since a couple of __days __ago. It's probably her outside now, complaining that I walk too loud or something. _Jayce took a deep breath before opening the door.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hathaway, but I told you that I'm unable to..." His voice trailed off as he saw who it was.

Caitlyn looked up at him in momentarily confusion before pushing him into the darkness of his apartment. Jayce almost lost his footing, but in the last second he regained his balance and angrily glared at her.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he exclaimed irritably and turned on the lights. It was usually also managed by Claire – making him used to automatically functioned lightning – but fortunately enough still worked. The two of them squinted in the suddenly very well-lit room and Caitlyn grimaced. "Explain!"

"Shh, not so loud!" she hissed and gestured for him to calm down. "I mean no harm."

As soon as Jayce saw her in plain light, he couldn't help but feel concerned for her; she looked extremely exhausted and gaunt. Her beautiful eyes were still sharp and analyzing but something was dampening their otherwise so powerful gaze, and her hair was in a messy ponytail hanging down her left shoulder. The Sheriff was still armed and dressed formally, and he guessed that she had gotten here immediately after she was free of duty at the City Hall.

"Caitlyn," sighed Jayce and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought you never wanted to meet me again," he stated dryly to his own surprise. He had never felt so annoyed with her presence and a thought slowly occurred to him, but the inventor quickly brushed it away. _Foolishness_, he thought bitterly, _you are not that vain._

Caitlyn soaked her lips before speaking. "I'm sorry for earlier; I just had a... minor breakdown," she said honestly and then frowned. "It's just that there was a lot going on at the time and I was feeling pressured and... well, there's something I got to ask you."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that could be...?" asked Jayce monotonically. It still pained in retrospect; he had begged for her help and finally confessed his... _tender__ feelings_ for her, but she had just denied him so ruthlessly without even an explanation. _It is now, after several weeks of sleepless nights, that she comes and apologize_, he noted coolly. _How distasteful of her._

"I came to tell you-" she interrupted herself, correcting the sentence, "-I came to _ask_ of you..." Caitlyn averted her gaze and clenched her fists. "I-I wonder if you..."

_She sounds terrified, _realized Jayce and waited albeit impatiently. _Or nervous. Maybe embarrassed. All three would fit perfectly into the situation._ He was tempted to cross his arms and stamp his foot repeatedly into the floor, but decided not to, since Caitlyn still was armed and was – at times – pretty trigger-happy. His theory from earlier came creeping back at him with renewed strength, but Jayce ignored it yet again. He decided not to risk further aggravating Caitlyn and stood silently, watching her every move... which wasn't much to view. Seconds ticked away as the Sheriff seemed to be contemplating different choices, as well as calculating the consequences of each option. Finally, she opened her mouth to continue.

"Jayce," she said commandingly.

Jayce straightened and met her gaze. _So she was scared after all. _"What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "Are you see?" asked Caitlyn.

"If I'm 'see'?" he replied and couldn't hold back a laugh. "Cait, is this a joke?" he wondered venomously. "It's in the middle of the night and you come to my door, invading my home and asking if I'm 'see'?" Jayce pointed at his both eyes. "I can see you very clearly."

"What are you talking about? I was talking about the letter, 'C'!" hissed Caitlyn and frowned. "And what's up with you all of a sudden? Why are you so snappish?"

Jayce pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "What do you think?"

She pressed her lips together and exhaled through her nostrils. Her green-blue eyes locked with his as she then spoke.

"If you want it that way." Caitlyn crossed her arms over her chest. "Show me the bit of the box you have in your possession."

Jayce raised an eyebrow. "And how so that you want to admit that it exists now?" he asked suspiciously and searched his pocket for the shard. The cold metal started pulsating beneath his touch and he gripped it even harder before pulling out his hand and showing Caitlyn the broken piece. "Here," he said and held it out for her to see. "This is the only thing I found."

She took a step closer and hesitantly reached for the fragment. He could see how nervous she seemed to be when he let her take the shard in her own, small palm. The blue light increased in strength and shone up her tired countenance.

"It... it feels like a creature," she whispered in awe. "Almost as if this silly piece of synthetic material is _alive_."

Jayce aimed to take it back but Caitlyn evaded his hand with her own. "Cait-"

She flung herself around his neck and hugged him tightly. The force of her body clashing into his was surprising, but he quickly regained his calm and awkwardly hugged her back. Her hair smelled like the fresh breeze of the night and dirt from the street, but he didn't mind it. Jayce had gotten used to all of Caitlyn and her habits and it still ached in his heart – and perhaps somewhere south – somewhat terribly, when he felt her hot breathing against his ear and the soft clawing of her cleanly cut nails as they made marks in his flesh.

"Cait...?" he tried and swallowed. "Hey, is everything alright? Something disturbing you on work? Your mood is changing faster than the sea."

_Damn... she's so fragile and irresistible like this_, thought Jayce and kissed the crown of her head. _I really shouldn't care as she made it clear that she wants nothing more than sex and company to eat with; I'm not that guy. I want something long-lasting, something that can be described as a real relationship. I can't stand being pushed and hushed aside public eyes, and I got to make her understand that. She can't eat the cake and keep it... but I don't exactly do anything to show her the boundaries for that._

She didn't reply but pulled him closer to her. Jayce felt her rapidly beating heart race in a speed matching his own, and what he normally would take as a sign for her to be in need, he felt that something was off with this. Caitlyn had shown signs of fear earlier and had yet to explained why.

"You don't want to explain?" he asked quietly, his voice muffled by her hair. Jayce caressed her back and neck and realized that she was all frozen. "Cait? You're scaring me a bit with this..."

Jayce had meant the last as a joke but Caitlyn didn't react. He could feel a sharp protrusion of the shard bury itself into his neck, but ignored the pain. Instead, he decided to wait her out. Whatever was so dreadful for one of the toughest woman he knew to be unable to talk in fear, must be something overwhelming for a normal citizen like him. Yet again he felt the discrimination in their statuses and different thoughts flew past his mind: _would Caitlyn have announced __our__ relationship in public if __I __was someone else than another boring inventor? Would she be less "ashamed" of __me__? Or... __is__ nobody good enough for the Sheriff of Piltover?_

"Caitlyn." Jayce swallowed nervously and intertwined his fingers into her hair. "You _do_ know... how much I care for you, right?"

"I care for you as well," she immediately replied, to his surprise. Caitlyn abruptly recoiled from him and backed into his kitchen, opening a window meanwhile. "I really do... and that's why I have to do this for you."

Before he could react, she threw out the fragment through the window. Caitlyn drew forth her rifle in lightning speed and fired away a total of three shots, each and every one of the bullets resulting in a burst of blue light as they hit the shard. Jayce watched in petrified horror as Caitlyn blew up the piece of the ancient object, the_ key_ of his progressing invention.

_I can't believe my eyes, I can't believe what I just saw._

"Caitlyn," he numbly said and tried to recollect himself. "Tell me that was just a stupid plaything, that it was just a joke, _that what you just destroyed wasn't the thing I need to defeat Viktor._"

"I understand that you are furious-" she started but Jayce cut her off.

"What did you do!" he screamed and swiped with his arm down the counter. Glasses and plates flung into the ground with an almost deafening sound but he didn't care. Jayce walked across the splitter, ignoring the small cuts in his feet. "'Furious' is barely _grazing_ the emotional inferno I'm experiencing at the moment!"

Something looking like regret shaded Caitlyn's face for a second before disappearing beneath the well-rehearsed, polite-but-cold expression of a police officer. She was still wearing her boots and could easily walk back into the hallway. He followed her.

"You can't get to Viktor, you get that?" she said and hung the rifle over her shoulder. "If you do that, you'll be branded as a traitor of Piltover and banished from here for good!"

"Why?" exclaimed Jayce. He turned to stare into the darkness of the early morning where his hope had literally faded away. "Why!" he repeated, more angrily and clenched his fists.

Caitlyn rested her hand on the door handle and opened it halfway. She bit her lip before looking back at him and their eyes locked.

"Because someone wants you away," she replied silently. "I can't tell you much but know to give up, Jayce. Even if you do succeed making something dangerous with the fragment, Piltover will eliminate your citizenship and declare you an outlaw."

"And explain to me, just why," he said, getting even more aggravated, "just why, would they do that? It was stolen from me! I have all rights to retrieve it! It should even be your job to help me since the people assigning me to this mission was the government!"

Caitlyn sighed. "Jayce, don't you understand? Everything was classified. Nobody knows anything and those who do don't want to show themselves in bad light. How would it look if whole Valoran would know that the government of Piltover is giving out dangerous, untested objects to _civilians_? Our city won't go through with that, absolutely not. They'd rather have you declared a madman."

Jayce didn't know what to say and stayed quiet. So many thoughts were swirling in his head and he had no idea how to put two and two together. His emotions and logic was clashing into each other, not knowing what was the right thing to say or think. Everything was so much more difficult than he had thought it to be but still he couldn't let it pass like that.

"I won't give up," he simply said. "Not for anything will I let a crazy cyborg let loose the artifact's powers across the world." Jayce soaked his lips. "This is so much larger than just the pride of a city, Cait, this is about the safety of our tomorrows."

"Jayce-"

"Cait," he interrupted and held her eyes. "Don't talk to me anymore, please."

"But Jayce, they'll declare you a traitor! You got to stop with this!"

He gave her a halfheartedly wave and finally averted his gaze. "I don't care... just leave, will you?"

He heard her gasp for air and interrupted her once again. "I'll think about it, alright? I will, I promise," he said, holding up his hands in a defeated gesture.

Jayce thought she would say something else – mention anything else about the government or even threaten him again – but she left, closing the door behind her, and the apartment fell silent again. His knees almost buckled beneath him and he gave up a groan of frustration before finding his way into the bathroom to tend to his wounds.

What did he know about the hooded observer sitting nonchalantly on his bed, having listened to his and Caitlyn's whole conversation. Or that the person quietly slipped through an opened window while sheathing a long, razor-sharp dagger that glimmered viciously in the azure light of another piece of fragment.


	12. Chapter 3:2

**CHAPTER 3:2**

Jayce emerged from his kitchen, having cleaned up the mess of the broken glass, and sank down on his bed with a sigh. His feet were aching beneath the thin layer of bandages and he grimaced as he fell back onto his sheets.

_That was... _Jayce sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. _That was _interesting_, to say the least, but I can swear on my life that she is hiding something extremely important. And why doesn't she share her burden with me? Since when did she start becoming so hard to deal with?_

He stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock on his wall. _It's way after bedtime; I should probably go to sleep_, he thought resignedly and moved aside his blankets to find the heavenly softness of his rather large bed. But as he found a comfortable position to sleep in, his eyelids heavy with sleep deprivation, Jayce felt something sharp chafe against his ankle. It was cold; and pulsated rhythmically.

"Damn..." he muttered dozily and rose into sitting. Jayce searched for the alien object with his hands and soon found it.

His breath caught in his throat.

_Impossible..._ _Simply impossible. _Jayce clenched the familiar shape of the shard with his right hand. Every ounce of his exhaustion was as gone as it had never been there and excitement filled his veins. _This... this is it_, he thought as he gripped it even harder and held it up to view with his suddenly alert eyes. The steady pulsating was unmistakable but the situation felt so surreal that he thought for sure it was a dream, that he had already fallen asleep since long and was projecting his wishes into illusions.

Jayce could see the strange, azure light shining through his fingers and understood that this was real. The strength of the illumination was greater than its precursor and ignited his hope again. The shard was real.

_Either I am the most foolish genius on Valoran, _thought Jayce and chuckled, _or I am the luckiest bastard ever. How could I have missed this? It probably also fell off from the box; are they perhaps more parts somewhere? And if the box really splintered into as many pieces as this, did it maybe break too much for Viktor to use?_

He shook his head and got out of his bed. _Of course not; if I can extract as much energy as these small pieces contain and create a weapon, Viktor still got the major part and is probably indulging in power. I can not even fathom what kind of massive energy he must have in his possession. But I wonder, what exactly did he do with it all?_

Jayce walked to his workbench with a content smile. _But never mind him; I have the last component to my most superior invention. __I only need to configure a couple of things, but other than that I'm good to go._

_Piltover will thank me for everything I am to do – __but will Caitlyn agree?_

* * *

She had never been a fan of Caitlyn's cold patience, but Vi had always told herself that it was a positive attribute. It added an edge into their relationship. She always enjoyed tormenting the proud Sheriff with everything she could come up with, since Caitlyn was somewhat of a Mrs. Know-It-All _and_ a perfectionist _and_ refusing to lose an argument as well.

In the beginning of their partnership, Vi had tried to be as unruly as possible to check where Caitlyn's threshold of patience actually reached, but never once had the Sheriff lost her coolness. Vi had grown to respect Caitlyn and the feelings had grown mutual; they were after all an amazing team together and were soon called: Piltover's finest.

It was an impressive performance; she had gone from being a mere thief and lawbreaker, to one of the most influential people in Piltover, and to Vi's own surprise, she actually _liked _it. The feeling of never having to run away and hide from the cops was a relief, and she could enjoy the excitement of a good old chase whenever she wanted. Only, this time, _she_ was the pursuer. It was a lot more interesting and a plus was that she also had the opportunity to punch some sense into criminals.

In all glory, there were times when Vi had doubts about if this really was a lifestyle suited for her. Because even though she didn't want to admit it out loud, Vi wanted something else. A change in order. Life in Piltover was starting to get custom, _boring_, and she wanted to experience the world.

But that was when the letters started appearing.

A short period of time, just after her introduction to the world of law and order, Vi had started receiving envelopes filled with strange messages. The handwritten letters were filled with polite greetings and casual conversations... but they scared her more than anything. She had moved to new places several times in an attempt to lose the anonymous writer, but whoever it was, he or she was cunning and never stopped coming with new, more provocative lyrics, and Vi even stopped being bothered by it. Sometimes, the writer actually was of help since the person seemed to know quite a lot about hers and Caitlyn's current investigation, and even helped her with clues. This also terrified Vi, because if whoever it was would to be influential enough to know about their classified missions, he or she was very mighty indeed or just an incredibly lucky guesser.

The letters popped up regularly in her mailbox approximately twice every six months, and today was unfortunately one of those days.

"Fuck." Vi clenched the note even harder and pushed down the handle of the door to her apartment with her elbow, entering while placing her cap on the nearest shelf. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..."

The world slowly started spinning and her vision darkened by the edges as her breathing increased rapidly in tempo. Her heart was sluggishly beating every other second and she slumped down onto the tiled floor of her hallway.

_What on _Runeterra _is this motherfreaking piece of dump? _Vi read the letter again and crushed the envelope in her right hand. "This is impossible. Impossible! Something like this... no. No way," she said out loud and read the – for once – short letter again. "But there is no mistake..."

Tears threatened to fill her eyes and Vi hurried to blink them dry. "This is impossible," she repeated. "But still possible. But no- but yes!"

_How can this be? How can she be alive? __And here? In Piltover? _

Vi took a deep breath and then exhaled. She placed her hand across her forehead in an attempt to cool off her heated face. It was still a beautiful time of the year with fresh breezes and a warming sun, but inside her apartment, all alone, Vi could not help but shiver. She didn't feel cold; no, she was still hot and sweaty after her jog with Caitlyn, but she felt ambivalent.

_Should I be happy for these news? _She gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into the ground. "Damn, no! She just comes out of nowhere and this person knows it? Should I even trust the writer? What if this is just a stupid prank?"

_But deep down I feel that it's not_, Vi thought and grimaced. Her hand was aching but the pain was – somewhat – easy to ignore. _Nobody knows about this, not even Cait. If this person is sure of his or her information, this could be really risky and end up as one big mess. But how should I explain __this__ to her?_

_How should I tell her that I have a sister __that's not only insane, but has supposedly been dead for over two decades__?_

* * *

_Must... continue..._

Caitlyn pushed herself up for the one-hundred and sixteenth time before finally taking a break. She had just returned to the police station from taking a lap around the ground level of Piltover, accompanied by Vi and a comfortable pair of headsets. It was their usual tour at least three times a week and today's jogging trip had been incredibly of relief. Caitlyn had received another letter by the mysterious "C" during yesterday evening, and this time the contents of the note had been of utter seriousness. She wanted to get the words out of her mind and would gladly have called Jayce... only, Caitlyn guessed that he wanted nothing to do with her any longer.

"... I miss him even though he's still here; you need to give a sign! Don't let him disappear; I'd give him my forever if it meant for a day he can really be okay, 'cause I miss him! Even though he's still here..."

Caitlyn scoffed and wiped away the sweat prickling her forehead. _What a suitable song. Not._

She rose from the floor and threw away her earphones and her tiny music player onto her desk. The song didn't stop playing and she was forced to approach her workstation to turn it off. Caitlyn tried not to look at the lonely sheet resting in the center of the table, but her eyes caught on it anyways and she read the letter once again.

_Trouble in paradise? Might I perhaps have to remind you yet another time that I do not _want_ to kill innocent bystanders? I won't hesitate from mutilating him from the insides out and I can even make you watch. But as merciful as I am – whether it be to my disadvantage or not – I dislike having to make a scene. Collateral damage is, as both of us know, a very sharp tool to use by ones enemies and I don't want to make myself any more heard than I've already done._

_Well, that started of rude and I apologize, my dear Officer, for the rudeness, but I want to point out a permanent statement into that pretty little head of yours. There's nothing wrong with being "in love", but all those feelings are fleeting and what you might or might not experience with the good-looking inventor, I don't want to know. I'm only offering you a chance to keep him out of this mess._

_Because I know everything about you. And everyone in your proximity. You have nowhere to hide, nobody to trust. You're alone, pushing anybody away from you and staying forever cold, haughtily watching us from your superior position at the highest __peak__ of Piltover. It disgusts me tremendously, but I guess you can't help it. You __are_ _simply the symbol of this city... and it's my duty to make you gone._

_To subdue you._

_To humiliate you._

_To __utterly and completely __destroy you._

_But that right is mine and my only. Even though it would be quite satisfying to watch others trying to make you "snap", it wouldn't even give me a tenth of the satisfaction I will receive when breaking your will with my own. That is why I'm warning you now and always will. Read this several times, Officer, though it's not like you don't reread my letters..._

_Your partner, Vi, is in quite a notch. I'm not sure yet where this will lead, but beware: something malefic awaits her. And you. Something_ _that's not me._

_-C_

A cool breeze from an opened window carried away the letter to the ground. Caitlyn made a motion to put it back on her desk but then decided to ignore it.

_Someone is definitely playing me, _she thought irritably and pressed together her lips. Sweat trickled down her cheek and she wiped it off. _I will get to the bottom of this for sure. Whoever this "C" is, the person is positively insane. Always starting the letter in a polite manner, just to threaten and infuriate me later on and at last pointing out his or hers superior perniciousness._

Caitlyn straightened and threw an angry glare at the note. _It's almost like I'm dealing with a youngster, someone naïve and inexperienced. The way the writer describes me, I'm __guessing __the person __is __a "he" or a homosexual woman – __since whoever it might be is seemingly obsessed with me –__ which I highly doubt since I don't know a__ny lesbians. There is a minimal chance it could be, but that's awfully farfetched._

"Who are you?" whispered Caitlyn and clenched her fists. "C, who are you?"

After a moment of hesitation – and awkward silence as nobody answered her – the Sheriff angrily picked up the note to rip it into as many pieces as she could. "You've mocked me enough and I ought to end this before I actually start believing your words. I don't trust invisible, anonymous phantoms. Stupid kids."

The ivory-white paper was surprisingly resistant and thick, and as she tugged at it for a time, she realized why.

There was another letter inside.

* * *

**A/N.E:**

**Okey, say whatever you want but I am quite late with news. Vi has this crazy, weirdo sister and Riot Games revealed her just recently. Unfortunately, she has no major part in this story - if some of you wonder or was hoping for - but she might pop up in the sequel to this story. I did plan a continuation to Jayce, Caitlyn and Vi as I consider this as just a prelude to my main story - which will be fully constructed by myself and my imagination.  
**

**I must say that I was a bit disappointed with Jinx's Lore - Riot never told why she joined the League and I hate when you miss such major details - and I will probably have my own spin on it. She is a bit too "harmless" in Riot's version, nothing wrong of course, but just not the Harley Quinn we all know. ^^'**

**'Til next time!**


	13. Chapter 3:3

**CHAPTER 3:3**

"Bzz... bzz... bzz..."

"Come on... come on..."

Jayce pulled out a part of Claire's motherboard then pushed it back again. There was a soft noise erupting from the massive computer and then it suddenly lighted up in a yellowish, and much familiar, glow.

"_... scales going sky high. I can't seem to decipher the power level; it's too high. Nothing in my database can tell where its origin is, nor do I find anything similar in other nation's vaults. This is something I've never seen before and must be analyzed over and over again, Jayce, this could be the keystone of future Piltover."_

Jayce cleared his throat. "Claire, are you alright?" he asked and carefully shut the lid of the hardware. "What are you talking about? Don't you remember anything?"

A high-pithced sound screeched through the apartment and he immediately covered his ears with his hands, grimacing meanwhile. Claire didn't answer but he waited, since he understood that she most likely was rebooting her system. The yellow light wavered and lost its initial intensity, but soon rose in power again.

"_Jayce, I..."_

Satisfied with the results, Jayce crosschecked all of the cables before lifting the gigantic computer and pushing it into the notch in the wall. The idyllic portrait Piltover lay aside on the floor, having malfunctioned at the same time as Claire had done. It was heavy work, but manageable.

"Well?" he wondered and hang back the painting. He had yet to configured its safety system yet, but at least it was nice décor. "I don't think I've ever heard you stutter..."

"_It's not especially amsusing, Jayce._" She paused. "_Something feels wrong..."_

Jayce shrugged. "You have been dead for quite a while; I thought for a while that you wouldn't make it."

"_It was your fault that I wasn't fixed earlier. You refuse to give me hands_," she replied sarcastically. "_And what has happened to you? Why do you sound so impassible?_"

"_I _sound impassible?" he exclaimed irritably and started walking to his kitchen. "I have been battling everyone and everything! Viktor took the shard and walked out of Piltover without a single scratch, and when I seek the aid of the government, they refuse to acknowledge the box in the first place! And Cait-"

Jayce didn't finish the sentence, but angrily slammed open a cabinet and grabbed a lonely cup. He tried again.

"And Cait..."

His voice trailed off and he sighed. Jayce put on the tap and filled his glass with cold water. "She and I..."

"_Jayce_," Claire's voice was gentle, "_what happened between the two of you?_"

He finished his drink. "We..." Jayce shook his head. "No, never mind."

"_Please?_"

He put away the glass and returned to his combined bedroom and study. "We had a fight," he admitted. "And then we... ah well, I guess we broke up."

There was a long pause before Claire finally answered. He only heard the sounds from the outdoors: a couple of children passing by on their bikes and a barking dog.

"_I'm terribly sorry, Jayce... I know how much you __care_ _for her._"

They were both quiet as Jayce started cleaning his workbench of dirt and oil. He suddenly regretted not drinking something stronger, harsher, to clear his head from any thoughts of Caitlyn, but knew that it would be a bad choice for later on. Because today, he would leave Piltover to confront Viktor. and he had already booked for a trip to Zaun using the transports that were recently named as "trains". The cyborg have been left alone for far too long and Jayce knew that he was in a hurry to stop whatever madness Viktor might have already brought forth into the world.

And he had succeeded with his invention.

Jayce picked up a couple of notes on the ground, sketches of the final product, and he put them in a safety vault built into his desk, together with anything else that might remind even the slightest of his secret weapon. Nobody would have the opportunity of stealing the idea from him.

"It happened for quite a while ago, I've had time to recuperate..." He swallowed. The subject was still fairly sensitive for him to talk about but he had patience with Claire since she, after all, had been dead for a couple of weeks. "How about you? Everything working alright?"

"_Always such a caring person,_" she replied teasingly. "_I'm feeling a bit numb, but other than that I'm fine. When you get back, I hope you can buy me a new circuit card or replace the current one with a new._"

Jayce raised his right eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked confusedly and shut the vault as well as the drawer. "And how do you know that I am about to leave?"

"_Jayce._" She sighed and then started laughing. "_It's not like I don't know you. Please, I died, __but__ my memory card was untouched. I'm completely _fine_. And you never fix your bed unless you are to go somewhere out of Piltover._"

He rolled with his eyes and sighed, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he couldn't help but laugh as well. "Hey, you make me sound like a slob!"

She didn't answer and his smile broadened. "Oh come on!"

"_Just being honest._"

Jayce shrugged. "Whatever you say," he said, chuckling. "But what do you mean about your circuit board? I changed it just before you malfunctioned."

"_Ah yes, I know, but I think it was old. My network is being blocked by something with every command and the resistance is growing stronger each time._"

He frowned. "That's impossible, because I bought it completely new. It's even the latest module."

"_Maybe a mistake in the factory?_"she tried but Jayce shook his head.

"I ordered it from the same place as ever," he replied," and even customized it manually by hand. I wanted to install a new program to refresh your aging connections, but I didn't."

A cold silence filled the atmosphere and Jayce suddenly felt observed. He threw a glance out of the window but saw nothing out of the ordinary and turned his gaze towards the door. Another moment dragged out but then he faintly heard the sound of footsteps. Heavy ones.

"Claire...?"

"_I'm already on it._"

_Who might be visiting me now? _Jayce crouched to the floor and reached for something underneath his bed. _Maybe it's a common thief, or perhaps Mrs. Hathaway, __bu__t definitely not Caitlyn. __This might come in handy either way._

"You got it yet, Claire?" he asked as he found his object of interest and pulled it out.

"_Hmm, no... my system is working so slow... And what on Valoran is that thing?_"

Jayce smiled widely and gripped the smooth metal even harder. "This, Claire," he rose to his feet and held up his invention, "this is the _future_ of weaponry," he replied contently and examined his weapon yet another time. "This is what all of my efforts during these weeks has produced. A perfect symbiosis of techmaturgy, metal, hard work and determination. An absolute masterpiece of what could be my best work ever. Behold – the Mercury Hammer."

There was a slight pause before her words spurted out, surprised but ever so malignant. "_'The Mercury Hammer'? Somewhat cliché, don't you think? Great job though. It looks about as practical and fancy as high heels. Nice to pose with; but not something you want to __walk __down to the store __in._" Claire sighed. "_How are you to swing that? I didn't even think you could fight..."_

"Ha-ha, Claire," responded Jayce sarcastically. "You forget where I was born."

"_Oh._"

He rolled with his eyes and was just about to continue talking when the AI interrupted him. "_I've finished the scan by now,_" she said. "_But it was rather obvious who the person might have been._ _It's Vi._"

_Vi? _Jayce creased his brows and approached the front door with his weapon in hand. The footsteps were louder and by now he could recognize Vi's weighty walk. _I don't really have time for this... _He glanced at the clock. _Oh well, I have a couple of hours to spare._

Knock, knock.

* * *

"Hey, Vi!"

Vi didn't bother answering – too occupied with her dark thoughts to care for pleasantries – but as she pushed past him by the door, she noticed that Jayce was dressed as if he was going out. She examined him from head to two and saw that he was holding something in his right hand, though the obscurity of the hallway almost fully concealed it. It looked like a tall staff, perhaps about her height, but with something massive fixed on the end facing upwards.

"_Good day, Vi._"

Vi swallowed and averted her gaze. _Why did I come here? Jayce doesn't care for me; he won't understand. Damn, why am I so impulsive?_ "Claire," she acknowledged. "Finally awake I see."

"_It seems like our dear debonair hero sought to save me from oblivion after all. Nice to see that you __cared__ not __to __suffer the same fate __as I__. __It would have ended awfully bad. __For you that is.__"_

"Perhaps," said Vi and crossed her arms. "How nice of you to play smartypants again with your fancy vocabulary. Though it seems you are lucky enough to have someone to care for you."

She hadn't meant to sound so bitter but Vi didn't realize that until it was too late, but before she was able to correct herself or at least cover it up with a halfhearted joke, she was interrupted by Jayce.

"Silence Claire," he commanded. "Vi, is everything alright?" he asked softly and put a hand on her shoulder. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

Vi tried not to care about the caressing warmth of his gentle fingers, but her will wasn't as strong as she had hoped and she dropped her arms to the sides. She didn't want to tell Jayce anything, knowing that it would put him in danger, but she still didn't want to carry the burden herself. That her sister was alive was a miracle only in itself; Vi doubted that the sanity of hers was intact even after all these years in rather solitude. A little part of her was happy that she had at least some family yet alive, but everything else told her that her sister probably was anything but happy to find Vi alive and well.

_I know it is wiser to put down the beast before it grows strong enough to get out of its cage, and that with every prolonging moment my sister is getting more influential and ready for the world as it is, but still... it's my baby sister. I... I still..._

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice only a whisper. "I really... I'm lost."

Her knees were starting to weaken and Vi held her gaze to the floor. _I can't possibly explain this to Jayce if I can't even talk this through with Caitlyn. But what is that feeling that urges me towards him? _"Sorry, I see you are busy-"

"No, I'm fine." His voice sounded concerned but she was unable to tell the difference from annoyance. "Now tell me since you came all the way here. I'll give you a ride home if you didn't bring a transport of your own."

Vi sighed and clenched her fists. "It's kinda private, so I would prefer to keep it between you and me."

He didn't reply and she instinctively raised her chin to observe him, slightly frightened by his sudden loss of response. Jayce looked stunned but stuttered forth a sentence as their eyes locked.

"B-but what about... C-Cait?"

She shook her head. "No, not even her," she replied gravely. "Especially not her."

He seemed to have something to add but he chose not to protest. Jayce let go off her shoulder and gestured for her to enter his kitchen with a reassuring smile on his handsome features. "This seems like bad news if you don't even want to share your secret with the excellent Sheriff of Piltover. Maybe we should take a seat before talking."

There was something sarcastic with the way he had said "excellent" but Vi didn't comment it. She was the only one – save for Jayce and Caitlyn themselves – who knew the truth about their cooperation. For public eyes, Jayce had been stated as Caitlyn's private techmatrugician, one of her mother's best students, and that his frequent visits at the station were to maintain the Sheriff's equipment and to offer new ones. He had a good name, a good face and above all a good reputation. Sure, there were certain rumors going about the city of the two having a more intimate relationship – which was the actual truth – but the rumor where Caitlyn and herself were the Piltover's finest in more ways than one, was a far more popular choice. Vi had been laughing for weeks when she read about those two in the latest gossip rag but not been bothered about it, compared to a certain brunette sharpshooter who had been more active with missions than ever at that time, just to wash the rumour away from her otherwise spotless record. Homosexuals weren't discriminated in Piltover, only, Vi knew that Caitlyn had a certain thing against them. Perhaps it was because the two of them were supposedly together.

Vi stepped into the clean, well-polished kitchen and sank down on a chair. She was curiously examining her surroundings to check if something had changed since the last time she had taken a visit. It had been more than a year since she had been there, readying a surprise party with Caitlyn for Jayce's birthday. They had – after a lot of compromising and hot-headed arguing – broken into his apartment, fixed the decorations and a cake with his favorite topping, and then waited for him to arrive at home. Vi smiled as she remembered how completely surprised he had become – they had scared him with confetti – and how genuinely happy he seemed to become as he saw everything they had put in order for him. Parties were something Vi loved to arrange though she had never at the time thought that Cailtyn would feel obliged to help, making her wonder – as she laughingly watched the awkward movements of the Sheriff as she measured the ingredients for the cake – if her partner really was so cold and heartless after all. From that day, Vi had truly decided to rely on Caitlyn whenever she needed to.

Because she had found a friend in her.

"Now, what is bothering you, Vi?"

Vi woke up from her reverie and shook her head to rinse her mind of the memories. She realized that Jayce had let her be while making tea as a steamy cup of warmth was carefully placed into her cold hands. The chilly autumn was starting to get its hold of Piltover and she had walked here all the way from her own apartment.

"Thanks," she said and gripped the cup harder even though the heat burned her. A herbal smell filled her nostrils and she immediately recognized the smell. "Isn't this...?"

Jayce poured up a cup for himself and slid down on the seat opposite of her. "Yes," he answered and sipped the tea. "Caitlyn's favorite."

_He sounds so sad_, thought Vi and nodded slowly. _He is such a great person. I don't understand how Cait could have been so brutal to him; I would get nightmares about tormenting a little puppy. He's too kind. _"Ironic," she replied and tasted the beverage as well. It tasted as it smelled: like fresh rose petals and raspberry-mint caramel. _One of Caitlyn's favourites_, she agreed silently. "Though suiting. I was just thinking about the time when we violated the laws we've been upholding during all this time by doing a bit of B and E onto your place."

"Don't remind me," he said and grimaced. "I was forced to clean for days; every day I would find some weird decoration somewhere I never remembered putting it," he continued and laughed. "Damn you women. Always turning my life upside down."

Vi joined in and heartily laughed. "Hah, I promise it wasn't me who put it in your underwear," she said and then quickly recollected herself. "Or was it?"

He inquiringly raised an eyebrow and Vi couldn't hide her grin. "Just kidding." He exhaled in relief and she smirked. "Of course it was me."

"Amusing," he muttered, tryingly to sound bitter, but a broad smile tilted the corners of his lips upwards. Jayce cleared his throat and he was now serious when he spoke. "Can you finally tell me what is going on here with you?" he carefully asked.

Vi soaked her lips and swallowed. "I guess we couldn't prolong it anymore." She straightened. "I don't know how much you know about me but I'm pretty sure that you wasn't aware of that I have a sister."

His eyes widened. "I'm afraid I didn't know," he admitted. "But what's the problem with that? I also have a sister."

"Well..." She fidgeted nervously on the comfortable chair and took a deep breath. "I found out she was alive yesterday," she said with a low voice. "She's been dead for about twenty years."

Jayce opened his mouth but closed it again. He was staring at her in shock and remained silent for another minute before being able to speak again.

"But that's amazing..." he stated happily before realizing how down she was. "Or it isn't?"

Vi shook her head. "I'm afraid not," she replied and drank her tea. "I want to be glad to hear that she's alive but I just don't. You see, my sister isn't exactly... _alright_ in the head."

"Aha," he said slowly, dragging out his voice on the last "a". "Please go on."

She sighed. "I'm hoping that she feels better now after all these years, but a nagging feeling at the back of my skull," Vi gestured by patting her head, "tells me that my sister is everything _but_ fine. I... I don't know, Jayce. Am I the worst person there is?"

"No, no, no," he instantly answered and reached for her hand. "Absolutely not," he continued and hugged her fingers reassuringly. "I thought you were somewhat of a loose cannon at first, feeling suspicious against you, and I was scared that you might hurt Caitlyn or any other citizen of Piltover."

"Thanks," said Vi ironically but smiled. "I guess."

He smiled as well. "I didn't get to the point yet, thank you," replied Jayce, "but sure, you get it already. You gained my trust and even Caitlyn's before me. I've seen what you've done to this city and its denizens and you are such a refreshment to the stab of boring police constables we hear about every day. It's so amazing to see what a single person can do to make a whole nation change their view of justice and be less of judgmental fools, such as I once was. You and Caitlyn have really become the symbols of Piltover and helped created the City of Progress."

Jayce's words warmed her deeply and Vi returned a hug of their suddenly intertwined fingers. "Thanks, Jayce, it means a lot," she responded. _It really does._

He nodded and then gazed down at their hands. "Well..." Jayce smiled. "This should be awkward."

Vi chuckled. "Yeah, it should," she agreed and averted her gaze. "But... it doesn't, does it?"

Jayce didn't reply and she exhaled. Vi pulled away from him, first hesitantly but then as quickly as she could to break down the sudden tense atmosphere between the two. He didn't seem to have anything to object and somewhere deep down inside of her started aching of hurt.

_I shouldn't have said that,_ she thought irritably. _What is wrong with me? It looks like I'm just waltzing in here to steal Caitlyn's ex-boyfriend. What a despicable deed; I would never do that to her. No, I got to clear this out properly: I'm not interested in Jayce._

Before the mood could turn any more uncomfortable for either of them, the AI fortunately had something to announce.

"_Jayce, there's a call for you from the Sheriff. Should I tell her to leave a message?_"

Vi was still staring at a slight hollow in the table – everywhere else but Jayce to be frank – but she instinctively looked at him as soon as Claire ended her sentence. His facial expression was unreadable, if somewhat angry, but his body language told a completely different truth. He was... _confused_.

Jayce pressed together his lips and met her gaze. Their eyes locked and Vi was so rapt in thoughts that she didn't hear what he had to say and apologetically asked of him to repeat himself.

"I said," He held her gaze. "Would you mind me answering the call?"

Vi quickly shook her head. "No, of course not. Go on, you."

Jayce smiled stiffly and rose up from his seat, hurrying to walk out of the kitchen. "Claire, put her on my earphone," he said and emptied his teacup by the sink while passing by. "Tell her I was only getting the newspapers."

"_Immediately, Jayce_," answered the computer obediently.

And Vi was left alone. Again.


	14. Chapter 3:4

**CHAPTER 3:4**

Caitlyn let the ripped up note fall to the ground without any further notice. Her attention was now fixed on the small, rose-colored card she had found _inside_ the letter itself, and shock gripped her in an instant, almost knocking her to the ground.

"'Welcome to...'" Caitlyn swallowed and reread what it said on the card with black ink silently before continuing. "'Welcome to Piltover Central Clinic'?!"

_Is this another threat? Does he want to harm me physically in any way? _Caitlyn sighed and shook her head. _Am I dealing with a madman here?_

She put the card on her desk and threw the destroyed letter in the trash can. _Rubbish_, she thought and hurried away to the showers, passing her locker on the way and pulled out a towel and a bottle of vanilla soap. _He's crazy. He must be._

Caitlyn was quickly out of her clothes and entered the empty shower room to wash away her perspiration. The water was cooling against her hot skin and she turned it on even stronger, enjoying the relaxing massage she received by the impact of the drops on her skin. She could stay here forever.

_The hospital... _Caitlyn bit her lower lip and focused on a gray tile on the floor. _Why would he want me to visit there? Has he maybe planted a bomb there?!_

Her heart started racing but she then shrugged it off. _He doesn't seem like someone who would pull of that. Hostages, bombs and gunfire blazing aren't really his thing, _she thought and calmed herself down._ He's cocky, but not in that way. Neither does he seem to be part of a larger criminal organization; he's a one man army and likes to keep it that way. He might have an accomplice or two, but I reckon he likes to stay undercover._

Caitlyn bent down to pick up her soap and squeezed out some of its contents and rubbed it into her body. She was careful not to wet her hair and accomplished to finish her shower without any annoying hindrances. The Sheriff was a woman of much details, taking care to always keeping herself strict to her rules. Her political views were few and sparse; she cared not much for the statesmen controlling the City of Progress and had even at times been asked to join their ranks, but of course denied the matter time by time. She had enough job as it already was to keep her beloved city in a clear state like it was and Caitlyn felt that spending time on the field was a much more effective work than to sit in a conference talking about it. She hated being bored or idle and always took the hardest investigations on her own. Her private life was practically dead, but she didn't mind that. There were a couple of times when she visited her parents living in Demacia, but as the only child of the family and being rather lonesome all of her life, Caitlyn didn't exactly know how to relax and have fun. Not that it mattered especially much to her – she truly loved her job and it fortunately suited perfectly with her cold, almost detached personality.

That was, until she had met Jayce.

It had been a day of winter, four long years ago, when she suddenly felt the urge to eat something sweet and decided to walk to the nearest store and buy a bag of her favorite pralines. Snow was assaulting the city heavily and it had taken more than fifteen minutes for her to fight her way through the street and to the other side instead of what would usually take less than five. And if that didn't frustrate her enough, something worse happened. Caitlyn immediately regretted ever going out – all of the chocolate was gone.

"Is there really nothing more?"

The young shop attendant gave her a friendly smile. "Unfortunately not," he replied and scratched the back of his head. "Valentine's day is very shortly and most people go crazy on just this brand. Some even buy two weeks before, scared that it might go out of stock."

"But that's ridiculous," answered Caitlyn in an instant and rested her hands on her hips. "Why don't you buy in more then? If you know it will disappear eventually in such speed."

He shrugged. "I think my boss told me why..." The shop attendant grinned. "Though I didn't really listen. Anyways, there's some tradition or something... it's from some celebration originated from Ionia... I think. Guys buy it for the girls in most cases."

Caitlyn sighed and opened her coat. The heat of the small boutique was starting to make her sweat but she tried to ignore it. To her irritation, the shop attendant's eyes glanced down at her very low-necked tank top but then realized she could use it to her advantage. "Is there..." She smirked at him and tried to sound as flirty as she could. "...really nothing left? Nothing you can give me?"

The youngster cleared his throat and averted his gaze, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "No, I'm sorry," he said and swallowed. "I just sold the last one."

_Just my luck_, thought Caitlyn irritably and sighed. _I even provoked that young boy's mind... He didn't seem to recognize me and I really hope that nobody–_

"Here, take it."

She woke from her reverie and raised her gaze from the floor. A rather tall guy was standing in front of her, handing her the familiar dark bag of pralines. He was good-looking, had a nice smile and she was completely taken aback by his sweet gesture of kindness.

"E-excuse me?" she stammered and took a step back. "What do you mean?"

His smile widened. "It seems like you're in desperate need for this, Sheriff," he replied and swung the chocolate in front of her eyes. "You can have it."

"Oh," she blurted out and then shook her head. "No, you bought it. I'm sure your girlfriend will be angry if she finds out you gave it to another woman."

"Are you the Sheriff?" exclaimed the shop keeper surprised, his young features reddening again. Caitlyn grimaced and gave him a little nod, making him turn the color of a tomato.

"I assure you she'll be more than happy to help you out."

Caitlyn turned back to the stranger with a sigh. _I knew it. He's taken. __Damn! Such a handsome man is definitely busy with an equally handsome woman. What a pleasant reminder how much of a complete loner I am. This day ought to be my best. _

He chuckled and pulled back his brown, well-kept hair. "Since she doesn't exist, I think I can make up the rules myself."

"What?" asked Caitlyn and furrowed her brows. She was still not sure if she should take the chocolate or not, and his words puzzled her. _Is he single or not?_

"It was a joke," he explained. "I'm alone this Valentine's. Again."

"Same," she blurted out and hid her flushed cheeks with her thick scarf. "I mean... well, I'm alone as well."

"I understood that," he answered with a smirk and she inquiringly raised an eyebrow. He was witty and charming, but she felt suspicious towards him, not completely understanding what he wanted to gain by speaking to her. Maybe this was another one of Vi's silly jokes? Was she hiding behind one of the shelves with a camera? "Pleasure to meet you, Sheriff. Name is Jayce."

He held out his hand and she took it. "Caitlyn, but that you already know as well I reckon," she replied. The stranger's hand was warm and firm, but not very much larger than her own. He was definitely stronger than her but not by much, and she guessed that he was an entrepreneur or inventor. His physical body shape would suit an eccentric artist as well, but he didn't look nor dress like that type. Intelligent, blue eyes seemed to examine her in same fashion as she had analyzed him and Caitlyn decided to go with an inventor. The man had the slightest of a Demacian accent but his appearance was not typical for that nation and she guessed that he had grown up in the beautiful city-state as child. She had only been there a couple of times, and there was no match to the majestic atmosphere that the denizens upheld. Such discipline and light was hard to find somewhere else.

"Sheriff," he acknowledged and replaced his hand with the pralines. "Here, I don't need them, really."

She smiled. "Thank you, Jayce."

"No need to mention," replied the handsome man then added with a cunning smile. "Though you _could_ make it up to me."

"How?" asked Caitlyn gravely. _Now, what could it be that he would possibly want from the most influential person in all Piltover?_

Jayce looked at her in surprise and suddenly started laughing. "Wow, you sound so serious," he said as he calmed down. "I was only going to ask you out."

"We just met," she answered dryly even though she wanted to yes immediately. _Don't sound more desperate than you already have done_, she thought and frowned. "You sure are quick to ask girls out."

"Not really," he replied, actually sounding very honest. "But why not? We're both tragically alone on Valentine; this is probably the fifth year or so for me. I buy these," he pointed at the chocolate, "only to feel somewhat less lonelier. And to irritate those who are without."

_Five years?! _This_ guy was _alone _for so long? _"Busy work?" she wondered and tried to sound neutral, even though her heart was beating rapidly in excitement. "Or no luck with the ladies?"

He shrugged. "Well, I have had a couple of relationships... though they never lasted until or during this celebration."

"I understand that feeling," she replied bitterly and sighed. "Life is tough at times. Though I don't need a man to take care of me; I'm fully capable of being my own hero."

"I see," said Jayce and smiled. "And that is why you were trying to induce him with the best of your female charms. Right, Sheriff?"

Caitlyn rolled with her eyes. "Please, call me Cait. Sheriff sounds so... stiff."

"Certainly, Cait." He took her arm in his and led them out of the small store. "So," he said with a mischievous smile. "Let's see where we can find a restaurant fitted for us two."

It had only been for fun at start and she couldn't really tell when exactly Jayce had started to mean something for her. What had started off as something brief and spontaneous, quickly developed into a deeper connection between the two. He had lost some of his naivety and cockiness during their period of relationship, and slowly revealed the truly nice person he actually was. And as he matured, so did she.

Caitlyn didn't want someone to be dependent on her to feel happy, nor did she want to feel so leashed and restricted by another person's rules. She couldn't deal well with another dominant personality at all and was constantly worried that Jayce would demand more than just sex from her. Even though she wanted to deny it, she knew that he meant way too much for her to lose him, but neither did she want to accept it. How would she be able to continue with her work so wholeheartedly and faithfully with someone like him in her life? She would lose control over all of the criminals and sooner or later, something major would impact the city. She couldn't possibly be that selfish, especially not when a whole nation looked upon oneself with such awe and respect.

_Neither of us knew what we were heading straight into, though Jayce realized it first, _she thought and got out of the shower with a little sigh. _ But I just can't relax and talk to him about it. The safety of every __man, woman and child in Piltover is a burden on my shoulders and my shoulders only. I can't just let the criminals retake the city for the sake of my own, insignificant happiness._

Caitlyn went back to her locker and grabbed her clothes while putting back her wet towel and soap. She then found a place by a mirror and started sloppily braiding her damp hair with nimble fingers. _Maybe I should call him... __But no, I'd rather not._

She reached for her pink toiletry bag after some lotion but happened to knock it over. It fell to the ground with a loud bang and she muttered out a curse before crouching down to assemble her beauty products. Her deodorant and perfume rolled out of the bag, but that was not what drove her attention. A small, unassuming box filled with her favorite brand of sanitary protection popped open and realization washed over her like a tidal wave.

_I must call Jayce._

* * *

"Cait? How can I–"

"Don't say anything," she interrupted and he could hear her sigh through the other end of the call. "Just listen to me from end to beginning."

Jayce frowned. "Sure, but–"

"What did I tell you?"

"Alright," he replied, feeling more than concerned for her. _She sounds so winded up – what's happened? _"You can go on, I won't interfere."

"Thanks." Caitlyn took a deep breath before speaking. "I think the government is after you. I received early reports this morning, stating that we should keep an eye out for a certain civilian... namely you. Are you perhaps going somewhere?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confusedly. "I thought you were going to say something important since you cut me off so roughly."

She scoffed. "Then you mistook me," she replied coolly. "You see, I think there's something we got to talk through face to face. When are you returning?"

"I never said I would go anywhere," said Jayce, now feeling suspicious. "Is everything alright at the station? Nobody's holding a gun to your face and forcing you to talk?"

"I'd think rather not," she answered sarcastically. "I'm completely alright, but you and I need to have a talk. It's important."

_Why do I have a feeling everything is _but _alright? _Jayce soaked his lips. "Sure, I have a couple of things I've got to discuss as well." He could hear Vi speak quietly with Claire and could probably not hear him even now, but he made sure to lower his voice when continuing. "Since you already seem to know, I'm leaving very shortly. I don't know when I'll be back, but it won't take more than two weeks, I'm sure of it."

"Could you call me when you're able to talk in person?"

Jayce nodded. "Yes. But wait, won't you try to stop me?" he added quickly. "I'm going to confront Viktor and you know it."

Caitlyn sighed. "I guess I should, but I can't stop you, Jayce. Just let me know when we can talk. It's really serious."

He felt concerned again and all of his irritation disappeared in an instant. _She must be so stressed and heavily under pressure from work. Why can't she just stop being so infuriatingly stubborn and let me be with her? _"Hey, you'll be alright without me here to talk to?" he asked carefully. "I mean, I could always–"

"No," she snapped and surprised him with her sudden flare of anger. "No," she repeated with a low voice. "I'm always going to make it through, you know that, Jayce. I'm just... exhausted at the moment. You go do what you've got to do and I'll persevere likewise."

"Thanks," he said after a moment of silence. Her sudden change of heart made him wonder what she had been reevaluating during these days of their separation, but it was a pleasant experience for him. Maybe she had realized what he really meant to him.

"Don't mention it," she replied, "and don't you ever tell Vi I said any of that. I'm never tired."

"Certainly," he responded and smiled widely, guessing that she did as well. "Then I'll get to you after I'm done with this."

"Yes, until then."

* * *

Caitlyn slumped down on the floor with a heavy sigh. The shower had meant to cool her down from her training, but now she felt too cold for comfort. She put down her phone next to her and groaned loudly.

"Damn it, why didn't I realize anything earlier?" she exclaimed and clenched her fists. "I should have noticed something was odd."

_And this explains the letter as well,_ she understood and almost dropped her chin to the floor. _How did _he _know?! If I couldn't even keep it in check myself? And I received the envelope quite a while ago already... he already knew by then?_

She sighed again and tried to blink away her tears. _I can't deal with a problem like that now, especially not with C being such a pestering object. How does he get to know everything? It's almost like he has cameras set up everywhere I go or is able to– I don't know, read my mind?! Or perhaps he's Jayce?_

Caitlyn shook her head. "No, it's definitely not Jayce," she said out loud, ignoring the fact that she looked like someone mentally ill. She was alone after all. "Nor is it Vi... I don't have any other acquaintances; I'm not especially social and will never be. I should be able to remember anyone I've shared even the slightest eye contact with, but no... My mind is blank like a sheet."

_Who could it be?_

She focused on a spot on the floor, trying hard to recall anything of interest or could possibly lead to even a clue to find out C's true identity, but nothing came out of her hard-working brain. Her mind couldn't understand who he was – nor what he wanted from her.

"Ah..." Caitlyn picked up the phone again. _I'll try to call Jayce again. I don't know with who he could possibly talk to for this long, __but that's awfully inconvenient for me. _She found his name in the phone catalog and pushed the call button, then waited patiently for him to hopefully answer.


	15. Chapter 3:5

**CHAPTER 3:5**

Jayce sighed as the line went dead.

"Caitlyn..." he whispered and clenched his fists. _I should go to you right away but I can't. I've waited far too long for this moment and even though you sound like you're forgiving me for it, I know how much it w__ill__ hurt __you__ if Piltover forces me into exile. __I'm sorry, I __just can't._

"Jayce? Everything alright?"

Her voice woke him from his reverie. Jayce whipped around and faked a smile over his otherwise stiff expression. "Yeah, she was just wondering if I'd seen you around," he lied and put the earphone on the desk behind his back.

Vi crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. "And?" she wondered. "How did you reply?"

_She sounds worried. _"That I hadn't seen you in a while," he answered. "Was it the correct thing to say?"

"Yes." She exhaled in relief. "She would've freaked out if she knew I was here."

There was an unsaid "with you" in her sentence that both of them noticed but tried to ignore, and again it became awkwardly uncomfortable for the two. Jayce scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze from hers. He didn't want to encourage any further contact with Vi and wished intensely that Claire had something else to announce. Only, the AI stayed silent for once.

_Could things get any more tricky? _Jayce sighed again and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. _I should leave now._

"So..." he started and swiftly moved past her towards the hallway. "Unfortunately enough, I have somewhere to go now."

"Oh, where are you heading?" she asked immediately.

_Damn, the question I really didn't want to have to answer. _"Well... on a boring energy convention," he answered enigmatically in an attempt to make her lose interest. "Nothing special, really, but I'll be gone for a while."

Jayce reached for a pair of shoes and his jacket and quickly dressed. There was still a lot of time left for the train to depart, but he didn't want to be tempted to turn back on his mission now. Caitlyn's voice had been as ever the perfectly composed voice of a police officer, but it had also contained signs of anxiousness and frustration. He really did want to give her a chance to explain her problem face to face, but then again he was reminded with what brute resolution she had denied his request for help. He had promised himself not to come crawling back to her like some puppy and it was an oath he intended to keep.

"No, but seriously. Where are you going?"

Jayce stiffened. "What's it to you?" he asked suspiciously. "You're not going to tell Caitlyn, right?" _Not like she doesn't already know._

"Perhaps," said Vi and shrugged. "Depends on where you're off."

He hesitated before answering. _Is it anything she can do or say that might hinder me? I guess not. _"Zaun," he finally replied.

"I'm going there as well!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Did you also plan on taking the metal can in an hour?"

Jayce grimaced inwardly. _This is definitely not my day. Damn, _he thought bitterly and checked that he had his money. "Yes, but what are you going to do there?" he wondered. "And why?"

She didn't answer and Jayce chose not to pressure it out of her. It was, after all, her own choice to do what she wanted to do with her life. He wasn't more than a friend to her who could support her and advise her in making different decisions. There was nothing more to it.

Or so he hoped.

"Jayce," she suddenly said. "I'm leaving Piltover."

His eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Vi nodded dejectedly and raised her gaze from the floor. Their eyes met and the truth was revealed in plain sight. He saw how scared she was and felt like someone had knocked the breath out of him. There was something nakedly sincere in her terrified expression, something so incredibly out of order and wrong that he felt a fear of his own rising ever so slowly. Her soft, blue eyes were bloodshot and she started speaking.

"I can't remain here," she replied quietly. "I told you about my... _her. _She has not chosen Piltover to stay in only because it's a beautiful city – she's here for me."

Jayce frowned and grabbed Vi by her shoulders. "What are you talking about? What's the problem with that? She might have a couple of screws loose but she's nonetheless your sister. You're family. How can you be so cold-hearted?"

"Do you think it's as simple as that?" she angrily snapped and shoved him away. "It's never that fucking easy in life. Or haven't you been taught enough by Caitlyn?"

"Hey-" started Jayce but she cut him off in an instant.

"If it was that fucking easy, I'd have accepted it long time ago," she replied angrily. "But it's not. So don't you come and say what I should do and not do. You are definitely not in any position to pity me."

He sighed heavily. _I guess not. _"I'm sorry, okay?" Jayce resignedly held up his hands and backed away. "I won't ask anything or interfere in your businesses ever again. It's our own choices and lives." He averted his gaze. "It's just that I want to help you," he quickly added.

"Why?" she demanded to know in a low voice. "Why should you care?"

"Because I am your _friend_!" he exclaimed and groaned in frustration. "Vi, this is what friends do for each other. I just want you to be happy."

"And why is that your responsibility?" Her voice was wavering slightly, almost like she was close to breaking up in tears, but her face was determined and there were no signs of an inner struggle. Jayce had never even seen her sad, but that didn't necessarily mean that she was disinclined to be hurt emotionally. It was just so... _different _from who he knew Vi to be. She had always been the funny and friendly – but extremely rough – person, never hesitating from cracking an inappropriate joke at the worst of times. He couldn't possibly imagine how depressed Caitlyn would've been without Vi – and maybe he himself as well.

_Vi... _"Because I care for you," he answered and swallowed. "You... you and Caitlyn are practically my only two friends. My best friends. I only have you... and Claire."

"_Thanks, Jayce. It warms my __non-existent __heart. __Not,_" the AI sardonically said.

He smiled. "No problem," he replied and carefully approached Vi. The pink-haired woman was staring holes into the ground, her fists clenched by her sides, and breathing loudly. Jayce put his hands on her shoulders again, but this time as gently as he could. "Hey," he said.

Vi ignored him and he tried again. "Hey, Vi, look at me."

She slowly raised her chin and their eyes locked. He gave her a reassuring smile and straightened. "Everything will be alright." Jayce let go of her and backed away. "I know you'll make this perfectly fine on your own, but please let me help you."

She furrowed her brows. "How?" she inquired. "I'm going to get drunk and beat up annoying people. You don't need to help me with that."

Jayce burst out laughing, which eliminated the sorrowful mood. "I wasn't talking about that, even though you might need someone to help you to and from the bars and the clubs." He paused before continuing. "I was anyways thinking the same. I have someone to... meet."

"Aha?" The corner of her lips started to inch upwards. "You? Have some dirty business to attend?"

He shook his head and smiled. "It's not like that," he replied and his smile faded away. "It's an old friend of mine. He has something that belongs to me."

"And you are going to make him pay for stealing it?" Vi grinned, every trace of her earlier sadness as gone as it had never been there. "Can you fight?" she asked and stifled a laughter.

"_Exactly my thought_."

Jayce rolled with his eyes. "You two," he said warningly but smiled, taking off the edge of his words. "I was enrolled into the military in Demacia once," he explained to Vi. "I am originally from there and learned a thing or two about fighting and weaponry."

"Fighting you say..."

He couldn't even see the quick movement of her arm, but suddenly her knuckles were brushing the vulnerable skin of his throat.

"Would this be someone else but me," Vi said gravely, "you would be dead by now. Hitting someone there with force will break your neck in the most swift way. You'd not even be able to squeal."

_Wow... _Jayce swallowed. "Where did you learn that?" he wondered and tried to calm his racing heart. His lungs were working hard as well. "Don't you do that ever again. I'm feeling like I'm going to faint in any moment now."

"I don't know..." She said and lowered her fist. "It's just a thing from the street I guess. Experience and stuff, you know."

Jayce grimaced. "Please. Never again," he pleaded. "The Demacian military is nothing compared to you. I'd rather stay there my whole life than to even have a week of exercising with you as my personal trainer."

"Don't worry," said Vi and suddenly grinned. "I'm not interested."

"Then we're two," he replied dryly and received a hard hit on his shoulder. "Ouch?"

She shrugged. "So you want me to help you to help me?" she asked. "Wait, did I get that right?"

"Yeah, quite accurate," he answered and nodded. "Since you are free and going there anyways, why not? It'll be easier with a friend."

"Hmm..."

Vi moved past him and reached for something in the corner. It was too late before he realized that she was picking up the heavy hammer and weighing it in her one hand. Jayce gave himself a mental slap. "Hey, be careful with that," he said.

"You are going to swing this bad boy?" Vi smiled. "I didn't know you could actually make weapons. How does it work?"

Jayce took it out of her hand and lowered it gently into a black case by the shoe rack. "Well," he said irritably, "it's not something I prefer to do but I know a couple of things or two. As you can surely regard, it's not exactly an ordinary hammer; it has an extremely powerful energy source and will hopefully work in its later stage."

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

He closed the case and hung it over his shoulder. "It's not complete yet. I've been thinking about making a transforming weapon, so I could use it both in melee and at range. Don't you think that would be innovative? I'd always have the upper hand in a fight."

"It sounds like you're going to some lecture and brag about it." She huffed. "You don't need range if you have enough power. You see me running away from trouble? No, I take it as it comes. You should as well."

"It's not like that," he quickly parried and opened the door. "But I guess you wouldn't understand. Do you even know how techmaturgy works?"

"Don't cocky on me, handsome," she replied moodily, making him laugh. "Not funny! Who do you think manages my gauntlets?"

"Some poor bastard you've scared into obedience?"

He avoided her hit and smiled widely. "Take it easy, it was only a joke."

Vi crossed her arms. "Whatever. It's me."

"Impressive," he admitted and raised his eyebrows. Jayce hadn't thought about who cared for Vi's gigantic metal-made fists that suited as her weapons. But it was quite obvious when he thought about it. "So what do you say? You going to help me to help you?" he wondered

_No professional weapon techmaturgician would leave his or her work that unrefined and brute in its design. I would for an example, try to make them more versatile. _Jayce turned his head towards his apartment to leave a few instructions for Claire while waiting to hear Vi's answer.

"I'll leave now, Claire," he called. "Don't forget to lock the doors and windows. Stay on your lowest performance but update the security system every morning and evening. Don't let anyone in and cut the phone lines."

"_Stop being so worried; I'm not a kid,_" replied the AI sarcastically. "_Is there something else my master would have me do?_"

"Back to normal I see," he said with a sincere smile. "Glad to hear. You are really poor at being cuddly."

"_Correct. Goodbye, Jayce. I wish you luck._"

"Likewise."

He closed the door and waited until he heard the lock turn before facing Vi. She was walking back and forward with her gaze fixed into the ceiling. "You done with the thinking?" he asked teasingly.

"Pretty much, yeah," she replied and stopped in her tracks. "I'll help you."


	16. Chapter 4:1

**CHAPTER 4:1**

"Hey, wake up."

Vi groaned. "What?" she wondered and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What is it?"

"We've arrived at Zaun." She looked up at Jayce and he gave her a skeptical look. "How a woman can sleep! I thought you had passed out accidentally of some allergic reaction." He paused and rubbed his chin. "Though I didn't try to get any help..."

She grimaced and rose to her feet. "If you have any problems about my sleeping habits," she said and stretched out her arms and legs, "you're more than welcome to talk them out with my fists. How about it?"

"I'll pass," he answered and held up his hands in a relinquishing gesture. Jayce's expression was serious, but a smile soon spread across his lips. It was so contagious that Vi was forced to smile as well. "But really, you sleep like you're dead," he added teasingly.

Vi rolled with her eyes and sighed. "Whatever, let's go."

_He was watching me sleep_. She tried not to feel uncomfortable as their arms made contact when they both reached for their belongings above their heads at the same time. Jayce looked at her and excused himself, but didn't seem to be bothered at all. _What was he doing meanwhile? Did he observe me during the whole trip or just for a moment?_

Vi glanced out of the dirty window and was surprised with the immense number of people waiting impatiently outside for their turn to enter. She hadn't thought that this way of traveling between the cities would become so popular so fast since it was so new and unusual - _what if the train would get stuck midway due to some techmaturgical error?_ - but seeing the many relieved faces, she realized that this truly was a genius invention. It was the worlds quickest transportation tool and available for anyone at anytime. She suddenly wondered who the arcitect was and how many thanks he or she must've gotten. Hers, for one at least.

They swiftly moved through the unusually crowded train to the nearest doors. She almost hit a kid in the back of his head with her bag but managed to miss him in the last possible moment. To her luck, Jayce had ordered a private cabin for the two so the journey had been quite relaxing, but when she followed the stream of people heading for the entrance and exit of the underground station, she couldn't help but feel how out of place she was. It was all too much and she couldn't wait until they had finally gotten out.

"Have you been here many times?"

Vi shrugged. "Depends on what you mean by 'many times'," she replied, loudly so that she could be overheard the rumbling of the environment. "I can find somewhat around here, yes. But it's not a place I prefer to stay for a longer period."

"I see," he answered and pointed up a staircase to their right. "This will be a good place to get to the hotel."

"Hotel?" she repeated and followed him up to ground level. The night was approaching quickly and heavy clouds were gathering on the sky. Vi inhaled deeply, too happy to finally be out of the small and cramped area of the trainstation to care about the slight stench coming from the sewers. She was outdoors and free. "What do you mean?"

Jayce searched his back pockets and pulled out a grey card. "A hotel is an establishment where people can spend their nights with a roof over their head and be served breakfast in the morning for a price. It's very practical."

"Yeah, yeah, I know what a hotel is." She looked away and tried to ignore the sudden spark of hope inside her chest that had ignited her cheeks with a sudden flare. "And you better care because you are starting to sound exactly like a certain emotionless robot we both know..."

He chuckled. "Claire has emotions. That's what makes it all even worse."

"I see." Vi pulled up her hood and prayed fiercely that she had stopped blushing and turned back to Jayce. "So? Hotel?" she asked and crossed her arms.

"Well," he replied and scratched the back of his head, "I only have a vague idea where to go from here so don't scold me if I won't find right the first couple of tries."

Vi frowned and pushed her hands into her pockets. "So you don't know where exactly it is?"

"Correct," he admitted and nodded. "I thought you would be able to guide me... but I guess you wouldn't know all the streets. My fault." Jayce sighed. "If you wait here, I'll go asking around here. Someone must know. Maybe I can even find a touristbureau."

"Why shouldn't we both ask around?" she asked confusedly. "It would save a lot of time."

Jayce was serious. "Because I don't want you to lose yourself around here. It's quite a large place," he answered. Vi raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to see if he was telling the truth, and after a while he gave up. "Alright, alright. I don't want to lose track of where I am. Satisfied?"

She shrugged and sat down on a nearby bench. "Don't take too long; I'm really hungry."

He nodded and hurried away. Vi watched his tall frame disappear into the sea of bodies and faces and kept focusing on his back until he was only a blurry shape, mixed into an uncountable amount of colours and shapes. She tore her gaze away from him.

_What am I doing here? With him? What am I thinking about __pushing myself like this? It's bound to snap sometime – anytime – and I know it. __Soon. __I should just walk away and bash my head into the nearest wall. I'm playing with fire and it will hurt me. Only... I want it to hurt me._

Vi sank down into the bench with a tiresome sigh. "Fuck... I'm so fucked," she whispered and tried to find a comfortable position to sit in. Her choice of place was uncomfortable and probably very dirty, and she could bet all of her gold that her black, newly washed pants would have dusty marks. But she didn't care.

_If actually something happens... _Vi shook her head. _No, nothing will happen. He's not even available. Caitlyn and he are only having a phase... it will pass soon... And most importantly, he doesn't see me more than a friend. And he's my friend as well. _Nothing_ more._

She smiled, even though there was nothing to be happy about. Her smile was bitter and unhappy. _It's such a fucking irony, that something like this happens to me. Destiny always seem to want to fuck with me, especially when I'm at my toughest. __Fuck it all._

Vi rested her head against the backrest of the bench and stared up into the darkening sky. The clouds were mostly shifting in different colours of brown, but a sickly green hue filled up some spaces as well. They were ugly, and covered the otherwise so beautiful nightsky. She couldn't help but compare herself to them.

_Cait is extremely attractive... I'm not. I've never felt like I need to do something, but seeing her succeed so much better than me so effortlessly is really a taking a toll on my confidence. She's so certain in herself. How to talk; how to look; how to walk; how to shoot; everything is so perfect in her life. She never has to worry about some creepy-ass stalker sending letters every once in a while, who writes so coolly and casually like __she__ know__s__ him or her. She never has to worry about having to search for her long forgotten sister. She never has to worry about being alone. I really do admire her and she's my best friend – but I envy her of so much. So much __that she has, I wish I had more than anything__._

_And she just throws it away like it's nothing._

Vi straightened and then rested her elbows on her knees. She buried her face into her hands and exhaled. _But how can she know better? I can't blame her for anything; she doesn't know anything else. She and I are so different in many, many ways but does it makes us any less equal? No. It doesn't matter if you are a simple shopkeeper married to one of the councilpersons of Piltover. All people are in the same right to fight for happiness._

"Hey!"

Jayce's voice woke her from her reverie and Vi bolted to her feet. "Wh-what?" she stammered as he approached her. She stifled a yawn.

He smiled excusingly. "I thought you were sleeping. It looked like that at least. And then I thought something worse had happened."

"What are you talking about?" Vi creased her forehead and unfortunately failed to prevent another yawn. "I-wa-ne–"

"Aha, I understand perfectly, yes."

Vi rolled with her eyes. "I was never tired," she corrected and he nodded understandingly in sarcasm.

"Certainly," he replied and smiled.

"Who cares," she said irritably and picked up her bag from the bench. "Do you know where we're supposed to go?"

His amused expression vanished in an instant and Vi grinned. "I thought so," she continued. "But don't worry, I'm sure I can find it."

"What?" he exclaimed. "So you actually know this place?"

"Tell me where it lies," she quickly said. He looked surprised at her and she smiled. "I might actually know more than I've told you. My fault."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So you tell me I've been running around like a moron for thirty minutes... when you actually knew where it was?"

"Well, I knew about hotels as well but you seemed like it was necessary to explain it all to me..." Vi's smile widened and she nonchalantly shrugged. "I only thought I should return the favor. In a different form, of course."

"Damn you," he muttered. "Why did I take you with me?"

Vi snatched the card from his hand and read the small print. "'Thanks for deciding to stay at us for your visit in Zaun, and we will try our best to suit your tastes. Vendetta'." Vi grinned. "Sounds more or less like a brothel to me. Are you sure this place is safe?" she asked Jayce and gave him a light punch across his shoulder.

He grimaced and gingerly rubbed the place she had hit him. "_Ouch_," he replied emphatically. "And yes, I'm pretty certain that this place will suffice. At least for me."

"What do you mean?" she asked and frowned as he smirked. "Hey, what is it?"

"Well..." Jayce shrugged. "I never said I'd pay a room for you. Do you have any money?"

Vi soaked her lips. "Ehm," she nervously started, "I might have something, but I don't think that will be enough to rent something at a hotel. Are there no cheap inns around here?"

"I don't think so," he replied. "Lately, Piltover and Zaun have gone crazy with reconditioning the cities. And I can agree that taverns are a bit old-fashioned."

She sighed and put her arms on her hips. "Then I'll be sleeping on the streets. Great."

Jayce chuckled amusedly. "Don't worry, I was just kidding. I'll rent a room for you."

"Glad you decided to," she answered morosely and glared at him. "Or I wouldn't help you find to the place."

He opened his mouth to reply but Vi cut him off. She was feeling exhausted in every limb of her body and it was getting late. A cool wind swept back her hood together with her pink hair and she shivered. "Can we go now? Or were you planning on standing here all night?"

Jayce smiled. "Sure, you lead the way," he said and gestured for her to go first. "I'll follow you."

Vi nodded and set off in a quick tempo. They passed a street, into a large avenue where they passed numerous kinds of different boutiques and restaurants. She was amazed at the strangely designed articles hanging in the shop windows. There were tools, toys and weapons, food, snacks and drinks everywhere she looked and the vivid nightlife energized her spirit. She changed her oppinion of Zaun; it was rather nice at this time of the hour.

They continued deeper into the loud city. Her attention caught on a gigantic shotgun resting in a beautiful case as she passed a workshop. It was shining in gold and iron, and the wood was as polished as could be and coated with some kind of dark oil. The weapon was impressive in its design and size, and Vi stared at it in awe. A person from within hurried out – a man in his fifties, with a long reddish beard and smug features – and started ranting about the shotgun. He spoke so quickly and said so many unfamiliar words that Vi couldn't keep up with him. But when she decided to interrupt him and ask what the price of the gun was, Jayce interrupted her.

"We're not interested in anything," he said explanatory and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Neither of us are able to shoot."

"Then what are you standing here for!" rumbled the shop keeper angrily. "You're taking up space for other potential buyers. If you're not gonna buy anything, you oughta leave!"

Jayce nodded and smiled excusingly while leading her away from the store. Vi numbly followed, too shocked by the red-bearded man's sudden outburst to protest, before she stopped and looked back. It was all empty behind them.

"What buyers?" she muttered irritably. "Jayce, what was wrong with the man? Was he drunk?"

Jayce shook his head. "Unfortunately not," he replied. "I guess he's in a bad mood; all this uproaring with the trains must've attracted lots of thieves from Piltover or other places." His expression was serious. "That's the only problem with the new transports. It opens up for so much organized criminality. And it's not especially expensive to travel either so I reckon many troublemakers are strolling around here from Piltover and vice versa. Must be making lonely people like him anxious."

"How did you know he was lonely?" she wondered and pulled on her hood again. Jayce was still touching her and she tried to fight back her rush of emotions. "Sure he's a loser, but that doesn't necessarily make him solitary."

"He wasn't wearing any ring." Jayce started walking again and his hand forced her to follow. "And he's pretty old. Seemed kind of shady as well."

Vi decided not to answer and they went further into Zaun. They were on the commersial and residental area of the city, as Jayce had told her earlier on, but she could see the high pillars of smoke rising from the factories in the distance. The sky was too dark for her to distinguish the brown clouds but she could still see some spots of green here and there. The night was colder than she had anticipated such an industrial heavy city to be and she was suddenly glad that Jayce was holding her.

But her conscience was tearing at her. She couldn't help but feel guilty by the fact that she was here instead of serving Piltover with the best she had to offer, side by side with Caitlyn. Here she was, in an attempt to run away from all of her pain and memories – with Jayce. That was what she scorned the most. It looked horribly bad and wrong, even though this never was the way she had planned. Vi had hoped to get drunk at bars and get into irresponsible gang fights. She had wanted to forget and disappear from the world, at least for a while until she had finally realized and acknowledged that her sister was back. She had heard the whispers already. The talks and rumours around Piltover, of a young woman with the most terrifying sadistic humour. Her sister had even gotten an alias by the growing few who had encountered her mayhem. They called her "Jinx".

_It's not even close to her real name_, Vi thought and huffed. _Probably means she had something to do with the rumours as well. She doesn't want to be recognized by _them_, but still send me a message. She has come back from the dead to stay. If I only knew where to find her..._

"Something funny?"

Vi shook her head. "No," she quickly replied. "Nothing at all. I'm just... happy to be here."

Jayce chuckled. "Certainly. I never thought I would say it, but Zaun has its nicer places," he said with the slightest sarcasm. "I didn't think the city would've gone through such a dramatic change since five years ago."

"You were visiting here more frequently then?" asked Vi curiously. She knew almost nothing about Jayce and his past and she wondered about how it had been. He had told her only bits and pieces in a joke or two.

"Yeah," he replied. "As a student I attended to Piltover at the Yordle Academy. I actually met Ezreal there – though he wasn't a student yet – in my first year. He had recently excavated Piltover's whole tunnel system and was there to leave his research notes and hold some kind of lecture exclusive for teachers only. I..." His voice trailed off and he swallowed before continuing. "I met Cait there as well. She was there to listen to Ezreal and I saw her with her parents. I had already proven myself a good and hard-working student, and they both remembered my name even though I had never formerly introduced myself."

"I never heard Caitlyn talk about her parents," said Vi quietly and frowned. "Why is that?"

Jayce didn't reply and Vi glared up at him. He shoved his hands into his pockets, leaving her back exposed to the cold. "And I guess you know why," she continued. "Why? Please tell me, I promise I won't speak to Cait about it."

He sighed. "She told me once about it, and that was quick so don't ask about any details," said Jayce and he met her gaze. His intelligent eyes were sad, but not for him or for Caitlyn... They looked at her condolatory. "Cait never wanted to mention it when you were around and told me to do the same. She said you'd never had any parents to grow up with and made me promise that I should respect it by not bringing it up."

Vi went cold in an instant. _When did she get to know about that? How? Who told her? I certainly didn't. _She tried to calm down but she couldn't. Her thoughts were swirling in her head, faster and faster until she started to feel naseous. _If she knew that, what else might she already be knowing? How many of my dark secrets __does she know about__? When was she planning to confront me about it? Or was she just going to continue pet me like I'm a child? Why does she think she has the right to do this? What makes her so much better than me?_

_Many things_, a voice whispered to her. _She's the Sheriff of Piltover. She has everything a woman wants. Influence, power, money and appearance. You were nothing but her little charity project, something for her to become even more famous. She converted a street puppy to her own personal guard hound. Isn't that impressive?_

"...well and there it was. I finally graduated. I have many contacts in Zaun thanks to my many stays there and they remain my friends yet today. Of course I got friends locally as well, both in Demacia and Piltover, but most of them are only acquaintances. The people I finished school together with mostly decided to move to Zaun since we had been studying to become techmaturgicians and it was highly requested here. And that's how I met Viktor."

"Aha, I see," said Vi. She hadn't even listened to half of it. "Interesting."

Jayce slowed on his steps. "Are you getting too tired to speak, Vi?" he wondered teasingly. "Or are your thoughts straying away from me and my extraordinary and verbal autobiography? I will only tell it once."

"No, I'm not tired." Vi refused to admit her fatigue. She looked away from him and her eyes swept over a sign. _Vendetta,_ she mused. _Where have I seen this before?_

Vi stopped and pointed at the building. It wasn't especially large and the outer décor was boring, but she thought it looked nice. A soft and cozy light shone from almost every window. "Isn't this..." She crosschecked the sign to not be mistaken. It said "Vendetta" in golden letters. "... the hotel we're supposed to check into?"

"It is," affirmed Jayce. He gave her a smile. "I see you weren't talking rubbish. You knew where it was."

Vi glared at him. "Of course I knew," she replied and headed into the hotel. "You think I'm just going around saying stuff I can't prove I'm right about? Huh."

Jayce hurried to her side and chuckled. "I didn't say that, I only didn't think you'd actually find the place. Sorry, I was surprised."

"Right."

They entered the simple double-doors and a tiny bell rang from somewhere. A woman appeared out of seemingly nowhere and she gave them a polite smile. She was young and attractive, and dressed in dark appropriate clothes, to Vi's genuine surprise. Vi also noticed that she examined Jayce in much appreciation and her in less. She clearly liked what she saw... but what woman did not fall for his looks?

"Hello, and welcome to Vendetta," she greeted them. "What can I help you with?"

Jayce gestured for Vi to hand him the card and she quickly obeyed. He then showed it to the woman. "I have booked a room for me here," he replied and returned the smile. "And I was also wondering if I could rent something for my friend here as well. She came with me unplanned."

The woman looked at them confusedly before gathering herself and gave them an excusing look. "I'm terribly sorry, but we're full house. There's absolutely no room left."

"Why is that?" asked Jayce before Vi could speak. She whispered a curse. "It was empty when I booked."

"It's the trains," she explained. "There are more people here than ever. I'm sorry, but we have nothing to offer. Would you still like to stay here?"

Vi sighed. "Jayce, you stay, I can find another place to spend the night," she said and looked at him. "I don't want you to spend any money for me; I'll manage."

He shook his head. "No, definitely not," he replied then handed his card to the woman. "Here, scan it." Jayce then turned back to look at Vi. His voice was calm and so were his features. "We're sharing room then."

"What? No!" she exclaimed but it was too late. The hostess had already pulled the card through a small computer she had picked up from a black bag hanging over her shoulder and across her chest. "Jayce–"

"Don't protest," he interrupted firmly. The woman typed something on the computer then pulled the card through it again before handing it back to Jayce.

"Six nights on the Vendetta," she noted and typed it onto the keyboard. She then put it back into the bag and gave them another smile. "Glad that was arranged. The card is the key to your room, which is number 32. Breakfast is included and room service is available at anytime of the day. Have a nice stay!"

Jayce nodded. "Thank you for your services."

"Jayce, I'm not–" started Vi but he ignored her. Jayce grabbed her by her wrist and forced her into the elevator. She tried to get away but he didn't let go of her even the slightest. He clicked the button for their destined floor and the door closed.

Vi sighed in frustration. _Where is this night leading off to, really? _"Seriously, Jayce," she said and tried to shake him off. It didn't work. "Jayce, I'm fine outdoors, really. I grew up there and know a couple of things. You don't have to be so... overprotective. I'm not like–" She realized what she almost had been saying and paused.

"You're not like...?"

Jayce was staring at a spot in the wall and his voice had been emotionless. Vi didn't know if he was challenging her to say it or warning her to not say it, but she had never seen him so angry before. He was consumed with an unexplainable, cold wrath and she didn't know what to say or do to calm him down. His grip around her arm tightened.

Vi swallowed. "I'm not like... I'm not like Caitlyn."

She was scared what he might do – if he would freak out and hit something – but he just exhaled and said a simple: "I know."

The elevator doors opened and Jayce exited them quickly, forcing her into a short sprint to catch up with him. His strides were long and soon they reached room number 32. Vi was too busy with her thoughts to bother fighting against him anymore.

_I know... What "I know"? What does he mean by that? _"Jayce, what are you saying?" she asked as she entered the room. It was sparsely decorated with a double bed, a ragged old couch and a small toilet. She saw a small screen built into the white painted walls.

Jayce sank down on the bed with a groan. "I meant what I said. I know you're not Caitlyn." He buried his face into his palms. "I'm damn aware of that."

"And what's wrong with me?" she asked, suddenly feeling furious. _What the hell.._. Vi dropped her belongings on the floor. Her gauntlets hit the floor with a loud bang that probably made echoes several levels down. "I'm not Cait – so what?"

"I just..." Jayce sighed and rubbed his temples. "I don't know."

"You're foolishly in love with the coldest woman in the world," she suddenly blurted out and clenched her fists. Jayce looked at her in shock but she knew it was too late for her to take back what she had said. "Why did you even bring me here? Because you wished I was your dear Cait?" she continued with stern determination. "Is this some kind of sick game you're pulling off?"

"Vi," growled Jayce warningly. "Drop it. You know it's nothing like that."

She huffed and crossed her arms. "I bet she's so cold you can't even sleep with her. Oh yeah, I forgot: she only has you for pleasure. Like a fucking pet. Does she force you out of her bedroom as soon as she's satisfied, you idiot?"

Jayce immediately rose to his feet and approached her. His tone was hostile. "Watch your words," he spat and their eyes locked. "You don't mean them."

Her eyes were starting to fill with tears."I do, of course I fucking do."

She wanted to look away from him but she couldn't. She couldn't hold it back anymore. Vi swallowed and inhaled deeply before continuing.

"Because I'm an even bigger fool for being in love with you," she whispered.


	17. Chapter 4:2

**A/N:**

**Outrageously long time since my last update, I know, but I've encountered several different hindrances during the week. I just haven't had any inspiration as of late and writing something has been hard. Things might get trickier from now on due to personal issues so my updates might not come as frequent as past. Thus I apologize in advance.**

**Anyways, this story is soon coming to conclusion. As I've perhaps mentioned earlier in past chapters, I've already planned a sequel to Techmaturgical Precision, which I hope I'm going to be able to write. School is getting more and more of my time, as well as personal matters, but I'll try to continuously post chapters. The story I have scheduled after this (I have a couple of stories planned for my own "storyline" of Valoran, which I hope some of you've noticed) will be about a certain Ionian fox... c;**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4:2**

_She was breathing heavily and exhaustion was starting to tug on her muscles, but she refused to slow down. She pushed herself even harder forward, even though she felt like her legs were going numb._

"_Caitlyn, Caitlyn, we're coming out to find you!"_

_Their screams and footsteps were coming down the hallway. She turned left around a corner and kept going as fast as her young strides could take her. _

"_I see her!"_

_Caitlyn dared to glance backwards and immediately regretted her decision. They were gaining on her, and that quickly. She darted to the left again but suddenly found herself trapped. It was a dead end._

No... _Caitlyn tried to find somewhere to hide and her panicking eyes caught onto a medium-sized, black trashcan. Without hesitating, she dove into the garbage and tried to stay as still as she could. Her breathing silenced and so did her heart. Everything mattered right now._

Please, don't let them find me, _she prayed fervently and grasped her slashed hands together. Blood was leaking out of a wound on her forehead and trailed down her left eyebrow, irritating her sight slightly, but she ignored it. It was vital to not make a single move._

"_I swear I saw her turn this way!"_

"_Same. I saw her as well."_

"_But where is she?"_

"_Caitlyn, where are you?"_

_Her bottom lip quivered in fear as she heard them approach her. Their steps counted up to a number of five; two more people than the last time. They were boys and girls slightly older than her. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. _

_Caitlyn closed her eyes and tried to ponder away. _Don't bother, Cait, you remember what your father told you. Always stay strong and never give up. Then they'll have their satisfaction of both the hunt and the reward. _Never_ cry. _Never_ show your fear. That's when they win.

"_Where did she go? Damn!"_

"_Maybe you saw wrong..."_

"_Impossible, Joy, I saw her as well."_

"_But where did she go?"_

_She heard them getting impatient. Her own hopes were starting to grow._

"_Come, let's go. It's soon time for class."_

"_Yeah."_

"_She was boring anyways."_

_Caitlyn heard their steps fade away and exhaled in relief. _I got away_, she thought with a smug smile. _Finally, they lost. I knew it would happen some day. Thanks, pa.

_Her happiness was quickly quenched and replaced by pure fear as someone suddenly grabbed onto her collar and lifted her up. Caitlyn stared right into the eyes of one of her pursuers, a boy twice her size._

"_Guys," he said with a malignant smile, "I found her."_

_She screamed in anger and tried to get away from him, but he ignored her feeble attempts. The boy's grip around her shirt tightened and she was half dragged, half thrown out of the trashcan. She managed to land on her feet but someone kicked her legs from behind and she fell towards the ground._

"_There she is, our little playtoy."_

"_Hi, Cait, how's it been in that very... captivating box?"_

_They laughed. She felt blood in her mouth and swallowed it. _Stay calm.

"_Hey, cat got your tongue?"_

_Someone heavy stepped onto her back and forced the breath out of her lungs. Caitlyn gasped for air and dark dots filled her vision as she tried to crawl away._

"_What did you say? You want more?"_

_She tried to roll around and aim a kick at him, but someone anticipated her sluggish move and dug a heel into her leg. Caitlyn grimaced in pain and breathlessly tried to scream for any help. No sound came out._

"_Yes she does, Jim, just look at her," someone sneered. "Pathetic."_

_The weight on her back pushed with even more power and Caitlyn felt like her bones broke. Her vision blackened by the edges and she was sure that she was going to die._

Stop it,_ she begged voicelessly. _Please, stop. You win. Please, no more.

"_Jim, that's enough, can't you see that she's passing out?"_

Thank you.

_He immediately rose from her back. "Oh, damn, I wasn't aware... Is she still awake?"_

_Caitlyn kept her eyes shut and tried to act like she thought someone would when sleeping. She had never passed out in her whole life nor seen anyone unconscious, so she knew nothing and kept her breathing calm, even though she wanted to gulp in all the air she could. But all of a sudden, someone kicked her in the ribs._

"_Argh!" she yelped and curled into a ball. The left side of her torso ached in almost unbearable pain and she dug her nails into her palm to not scream. "Get away from me," she whispered breathlessly._

_A boy who wasn't Jim pointed at her. "Well, now she is."_

"_What shall we do with her?" asked a blonde, pretty girl. Caitlyn didn't recognize her. "Lesson starts soon."_

_She looked coyly at Jim and he gave her a reassuring smile._

"_Don't worry, Ashley, we'll be back in time." He turned towards Caitlyn and a blood-curling grin crept up his features. "Today, she's going into the Darkness."_

_Caitlyn went cold. "No," she said in an instant. They all looked at her in surprise and she continued. "I'm not going there. No way." _Not again.

"_Well," said Jim and shrugged. "Actually you are. Derby, get her going."_

_The large and bulky one – same boy who had hauled her out of the trashcan – crouched down next to her. "No problem." His breath hit her face with a foul stench and Caitlyn grimaced. "To the Darkness above or the _real_ Darkness?"_

_She shivered involuntarily as he ended the sentence and to her misfortune, Jim noticed it. He pointed down towards the hall and contently said: "Since we're on the right floor, I suppose she's going into the _real_ Darkness. We've had a hell of a run for her. She deserves it."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Duh!"_

"_But isn't the lesson starting soon?"_

_Jim rolled with his eyes and turned towards the blonde girl with a frown. Caitlyn wasn't able to see anything more; Derby pulled her to her feet and forced her to where Jim had pointed, his one brute hand gripping around her neck and the other around her wrists. She struggled and writhed to get away but he was completely adamant in his cruel hold of her._

_Before she knew it, Caitlyn was brusquely shoved into a dark space, cramped with old, dusty papers and broken machines. Her shoulder and cheek caught onto the edge of a wooden shelf and she stumbled into the dense blackness head first. She landed on her knees and hands with a grunt of pain._

"_How long will it take before you give up, Caitlyn? You don't have to do this, you know."_

_Caitlyn scoffed. "So you think I'm just going to watch you pick on them? Just because they're a bit 'different'?" she replied venomously and shakily rose to feet. She turned to the door where Derby stood and straightened her dirty shirt. Her whole body ached. "You are cowards and you know it."_

"_They're the children of something wrong," he angrily said. "They don't deserve to live while so many died in their stead."_

"_Rubbish." Caitlyn knew she wouldn't be able to convince him and sighed. "But I guess you're too stupid to realize that."_

"_You know neither of us have anything against you," he said while gritting his teeth in irritation. "But those bastards–"_

"_Those 'bastards' are the reason this school still exists," she interrupted calmly. "They were the ones who roused the alarm."_

_He shook his head. "They were surely doing it for attention. I bet they even started the fire in the first place only to have something to prove their worth with."_

"_There is nothing wrong with people," she answered glared at him. "It doesn't matter that they are Noxians. I'll proudly suffer every minute of school here if it only means that you stay away from them. They don't need to experience any more hatred."_

_Derby stiffened but didn't reply. Instead he flung the door closed and darkness enveloped her in an instant. All of her courage was blown into smithereens and she resignedly sank down onto the floor while trying to calm her rapidly beating heart._

The room... its walls... it's all coming closer and closer. _She closed her eyes as hard as she could and hugged herself tightly. _Keep it together, Caitlyn. You're alone here. There's nothing lurking in the dark but your own foolish imagination.

_Time passed without her notice but she was too anxious to care. It felt like the shadows were observing her from every corner of the room and trying to grasp at her with their claws. All of a sudden, she heard something shuffle in the dark and stiffened. Caitlyn looked about but caught nothing out of the ordinary._

"_Hello?" she whispered with a trembling voice. "Anyone there?"_

_No reply._

Of course, _she thought and exhaled in relief. _Ghost don't exist. They never have and never will. You're alone here, Cait; locked in and hurt, but alone. Ghost don't exist.

_She heard something again, this time a bit louder and closer to her. It sounded like someone was crying._

"_Is there anybody here except me?"_

_Caitlyn was slowly panicking and she didn't know what to do to calm down. She had never liked tiny spaces, especially not when they were dark and unfamiliar. She had actually been put in this room quite many times already and knew somewhat of its contents; finished paperwork, old printers and other outdated things, but not exactly how spacious it was. It could reach to the other end of the school perhaps or be even smaller than she thought it was, and it terrified her. Her thoughts were racing in tempo with her heart and she was starting to feel dizzy. _It's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing–

_She heard a voice._

"_I'll... get... you..."_

"_Who's there!" she screamed and jumped to her feet. She glared into the dark and tried to distinguish anything moving. "I heard you even the first time, now show yourself!"_

_Caitlyn couldn't see much in the almost complete darkness and slowly took a couple of steps backwards until her back hit the wall. A pale light shone through the small space between the door and the floor and she focused her gaze into the dark again. Her heartbeats were almost drowning out the sound of her own thoughts._

I can't see anyone_, she realized and clenched her fists in frustration. _Nobody's here except me.

_She waited another couple of tense seconds without knowing what to do when she heard someone tampering with the handle and the lock. Caitlyn recognized the janitor's grave voice muttering about something random and as he opened the door, purifying light illuminated her prison and burnt away her fears. His head peaked inside and their eyes met. He couldn't hide his surprise._

"_Caitlyn..." The janitor instantly slid sideways as she sprung out of the dusty room. "Puh, you scared me! Have you been here all along? What's happened to you? You're all... dirty and... is that blood on your face?"_

_Caitlyn exhaled and shook her head at the old man. "I'm fine, nothing to worry about, sir," she replied and coughed. He stared at her in disbelief but she shrugged it off. "I was just playing hide and seek with a couple of friends. Seems like I forgot the time since it was so exciting and fun."_

"_School ended an hour ago," he dryly answered and frowned. "I've seen you awfully a lot like this lately – bloody beaten and thrown into locked rooms – so could you please tell me what is going on?"_

_She smiled. "Nothing, just a fun game, sir. I assure you I'm completely alright."_

"_Is it the new kids?"_

"_Definitely not."_

_He seemed to have something else to say but she cut him off before he could start. Caitlyn was tired and still shaken by the hoarse voice in the utility room and wanted to go home as soon as she could. Frankly, she was a lot more ruffled up than she wanted to admit even to herself and felt embarrassed with her poor attempts of resistance._

"_Could you keep this a secret between the two of us?" she wondered with the sweetest voice she could muster. "I don't want my friends to know."_

_He huffed. "I guess you're talking about your parents and teachers, right?"_

_Caitlyn nodded eagerly. "Yes, please," she pleaded._

_The janitor contemplated her issue for a couple of moments before answering. He sighed heavily._

"_Sure," he replied, "but try to remove this habit of yours, young lady. It's dangerous to be here after school has ended."_

_Caitlyn frowned. "What do you mean?" He averted his gaze and she started to feel uneasy. "Sir, how did you even find me?" she inquired carefully. "There was no reason for you to come down here and open that room. It contained no things for cleaning."_

_The janitor sluggishly moved away from her and a shiver ran down her spine. He put down his heavy key-chain in his big front pocket and started to pick up some trash on the floor, thereafter heading towards the closest trashcan. Caitlyn hurried after him and spun him around, anxiety already tearing at her mind._

"_Mr. Janitor," – she didn't know his name – "are you alright?"_

_He stiffened beneath her palm and she saw that his eyes shone black before turning to their usual color: a damp gray hue. It all happened in the flash of a second before it disappeared and Caitlyn almost doubted what she had seen. But only almost._

"_Caitlyn...?" he said slowly and blinked. His bushy eyebrows furrowed together and he started scolding her. "What are you doing here? School ended ages ago! Damn, you scared me! Don't you ever sneak up on me like that again!"_

_Caitlyn went cold. "Wh-what are you talking about?" she stammered. "You... you don't remember?"_

"_What are you talking about?" He frowned. "And here I thought you were a responsible young lady. Huh, scaring old people like me is very mature of you. How amusing."_

_She was shooed away by him and quickly headed towards the school's entrance. As she exited the large building, dark clouds above her head were starting to rumble in disharmony and rain poured down over Piltover. Caitlyn was already soaked just a couple of steps outside and, realizing that she would get nowhere in the current weather, turned back towards the safety of the school – only to see the old janitor jumping off the building from the roof._

* * *

Caitlyn woke up with a scream.

_Fuck._

She sat straight up in her bed and her throat was burning of pain. The sheets were drenched in perspiration and Caitlyn realized that she was clenching her sniper rifle – favorite rifle – as if her life depended on it. Her knuckles were white in the light of the moon and she guessed that her face was equally pale, if not even whiter; she hadn't had a nightmare in more than a decade.

_More accurately mentioned, _she thought bitterly_, I haven't experienced _that _nightmare in an awful long time. Because for me, it's always the same dreadful dream that reappears. _Caitlyn gathered her hair into a ponytail and sighed. _His death... The poor janitor's death is a case unsolved even today. Documents and media told of it as a suicide – he had recently lost all of his money to a gambling company in Bilgewater and his two only children in a tragic accident – but I never believed it. I still remember the darkness in his eyes._

She shuddered. _It was like the darkness in the closet. It had the same feeling – same touch – like the voice in the closet. I... I remember everything in close detail. Everything from the sound his skull made as it crushed against the ground and as his__nose and pointy chin simultaneously broke into hundreds of cracks, to the way his neck and shoulders were thrown into a disarray of blood mixed with bits __and pieces__ of bone__s__. __I remember his ribs pointing out of his chest – as his sternum had collided with the stone first – and the impossible angle of his arms and legs. I remember the dark, all too dark blood escaping__from all of his horrible wounds __and gashes._

Caitlyn rose up and out of the bed and found a large, comfortable and old t-shirt on the floor. She scooped it up in a swift movement and quickly pulled it over her head and body. The apartment was silent.

_Ugh... I really need something warm to drink, _she thought and headed towards the kitchen to heat up some water for tea. Her rifle was put on the counter and she filled the kettle with cold water then activated the device. It gave out a small noise and after a couple of seconds, it sounded again. Caitlyn poured up a large cup, put in a small teabag into it and forced the hot beverage down her soar throat without waiting for it to cool. The kettle was highly advanced and knew exactly when the water temperature was adequate, but she still grimaced as the rose-colored liquid hit her tongue. She quickly drank it all up and sloppily washed the cup and put it back into a cupboard.

_The room..._

A shiver trailed down her spine and Caitlyn suddenly felt observed. She whipped around and grabbed her weapon in a split second and aimed into the dark. Her rather small but urban apartment consisted of a kitchen directly connected to the living room – her study – and the hallway. She remembered having closed her bedroom door behind her and that the toilet also had been closed as she went towards the kitchen, and knew that she would've heard anyone trying to open those doors. They had been intentionally made creaking whenever they opened more than four inches. She had designed it herself and was part of her home security system; which consisted of nothing more than clever tricks and her own ability to see and remember. Caitlyn didn't trust in techmaturgical objects due to their lack of sustainability since they were extremely vulnerable to outer intrusion. She had never been surprised in her home – even though Vi had made a couple of ineffective attempts – and liked it to stay that way.

Her eyes could in a moment analyze every corner of her familiar environment and relaxed after another survey. She was alone.

"Seems like a simple dream can push me past my usual sense of reality," she muttered, her tone thick with irony. Caitlyn sighed. "Now I'm even talking to myself."

She decided to make a quick trip to the bathroom before getting back to sleep. Her nerves were still tense after the vivid nightmare and even more now after the most recent event, but she tried to stay as calm as she could, even while she navigated in complete darkness.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Caitlyn turned on the light, reclined her rifle towards the bathtub and quickly performed the necessities. She finished and walked to the sink to wash her hands and decided to dabble her face slightly to take the edge off of the dream. She couldn't explain it but she was slowly starting to feel cold. She even contemplated about taking a late night shower or even fill up the tub and relax to some quiet music in the background, but decided to return back to her bed.

As she blindly reached for a towel directly next to her sink, her fingers caught onto something sharp.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed and, in surprise, stumbled backwards. Caitlyn couldn't see clearly due to the water in her eyes but saw the silhouette of a tall person – most likely a man – in front of her. Her heart froze as she took another step backwards.

"Get away from me!" she screamed and was suddenly caught between two decisions. Either make a run to her desk and grab the first weapon she could or to throw herself at her sniper rifle. The first choice was the most safe one, mostly because she had time to figure out how, why and when the stranger had entered her apartment. Maybe she could get him to his senses. The second option was the riskier one since he would have a chance at hitting her, but it was what appealed to her the more. Because even if she would manage to get to her weaponry without problems, he would have her rifle and they would be in a deadlock. And she had no intentions of dying already.

Caitlyn felt that her hand was pulsating in pain and through her blurry sight, she noticed that a gigantic gash was tracing across her palm and blood was dripping onto the white tiled floor. She realized that the man was armed with an extremely sharp knife and fear was starting to cloud her mind; she could barely move her fingers.

"Who are you?" she screamed in fury. Caitlyn didn't want to raise her arm to wipe the water away from her eyes; she didn't want to lose him out of her sight. She barely blinked. "How did you get here? What do you want from me?"

The stranger made a soft noise, almost like a chuckle, and took a step closer to her. He was holding up something in his right hand, something that had unmistakable similarities to a dagger. Caitlyn decided to sprint to her study, but unfortunately fell on the threshold and landed face forward. She panicked and wiped away the water from her face with her healthy hand and turned to the stranger to at least stare her murderer boldly in the eyes – only, he was no longer there.

"Blasphemy," she whispered. _He's gone._

Caitlyn hurried to standing and entered the well-lit bathroom. He had nowhere to hide but she couldn't find him anywhere. She remembered that her right hand had been hurt but as she stretched out her fingers, the wound had vanished. The blood as well, even from the floor. Everything, every little bit of evidence was gone. As if it had never been there in the first place at all. Caitlyn was not only confused but terrified – had the stranger been imaginary? Or was there something else to this mystery, something she could not comprehend just yet?

_Who was he?_


End file.
